The Students Of Venice
by Madianna
Summary: Supporting your son through university is tough, especially when he has a fiance and son of his own! But when Anthony finds himself in debt, he accepts a loan from an old rival called Shylock with a weird but suspicious forfeit...An installment of the Child Swap series.
1. The Calm Before The Storm

Happy Easter! As a treat, I am posting my sequel to ALYN, even though I said I wouldn't write it. Well, I have.

So, anyway, it's Merchant Of Venice based, which means there will be people being mean to Jews. I'm not anti-Semitic, I have no issues with people following different religions, these are not my opinions. They are Anthony (Antonio)'s opinions. Like with the Wicca in the last story, if you are Jewish and feel offended, please don't send me flames. Email me, and tell me what's wrong and how I can make it better and more realistic. Part of the reason I wasn't sure if I was going to write this was because I didn't want to write something that would offend people.

Enough of that! The story starts with the gang getting their A Level results. You might have already noticed I've just picked up the English Education system and dumped it in Italy. If you are confused, what happens is that school is compulsory until 16, when you have sat GCSEs, and then you take A Levels if you want too, which is what I have done, or you get an apprenticeship or something. You need A Levels if you want to go to university. You take between 6-12 GCSEs and then usually 3 A Levels, although I'm taking 4 because I'm at a grammar school (In Kent, you take a test at 11 and if you pass, you go to a grammar school, if you don't, you go to a comprehensive)

And lastly, you may remember the hilarious Allegra from ALYN. You may also remember that she is not mine, she is Cornadopia's OC. Cornadopia has very kindly agreed to let me borrow her and her family for the story again. So, as a little thank you to Corny, if you haven't already, check out her story, Mercutio and Allegra, and REVIEW IT.

* * *

"In goes the airplane into Eliseo's mouth, yum yum! Good boy, that's it, eat your breakfast for daddy" cooed Benvolio.

"Awa!" cried Eliseo, baby food dripping down his chin. Anthony fondly watched his son mope up grandson, and then feed him the next spoonful. Eliseo reached out to try and grab the spoon, but Benvolio moved it out of reach with a delighted laugh and spooned the food into his son's mouth "Umph" said Eliseo, his mouth full.

Eventually, Benvolio turned around, to realize he was being watched.

"What's the matter, dad? You look sad"

"Nothing, son, it's nothing. I'm just thinking about how much I'll miss you two when you leave for university"

"Well, I haven't got my results yet" Benvolio looked nervously at the clock "We need to get there for ten"

"I know, I know. You will have passed, Ben, you're a smart boy"

"The night before my chemistry exam I was up with a sick baby" Benvolio gestured to Eliseo, who whined for more food, trying to reach again for the spoon.

"Hermia was up with a sick baby. She let you get your sleep. I'm sure you've done fine, Benvolio. Are you nervous?"

"Yes"

Benvolio shook a little. The next stage of his life depended on those results. He, Mercutio and Romeo had all applied to Ca' Foscari University in Venice, had all received offers, although Benvolio and Romeo had to recieve the right grades before they could accept their places. Mercutio already had his results and was admitted immediately. Age wise, he was a year older than them and had left school the previous year, but he had taken a gap year to go travelling.

Beatrix flounced down the stairs.

"Where's my favourite nephew! Come give Aunty Beatrix a kiss! Urgh, no, yeuch, you're all covered in orange muck"

"That will teach you" said Benvolio as Eliseo reached for her with goo covered hands.

"Are you nervous?" asked Beatrix.

"Of course I'm nervous! Dad just asked me"

"It will be all right" assured Anthony "I mean, Bocconi University admitted Tybalt Capulet, of all people. Surely if he can go to university, so can you"

"That's mean, dad" said Beatrix.

"Whatever, Beatrix. You know, I remember the day I got my results like it was yesterday" reminisced Anthony.

"What did you get?" asked Benvolio.

"Two B's and a D. You didn't need such high grades back then. I went back in the eighties and shared a dorm with the guy I named you after. We'd been friends since we were kids. That's where I met your mother"

"You often say about how much you enjoyed it" noted Benvolio, as Eliseo started to terrorize a rattle. He looked up at Benvolio eagerly, showing him what he could do. Benvolio smiled at him and clapped him on.

"You will love it, Benvolio. It will be the best time of your life. And it's going to be exactly how you three boys mapped it out when you were kids" said Anthony.

"Except I have a baby" added Benvolio.

"Wogoo" Eliseo nodded.

"Well, besides that. Hermia can look after him"

"Dad! That's not fair! I have to look after him too, I'm his dad!"

"I didn't mean it like that! But look, Benvolio, try and get what you can out of it. You're only in university once. Go out with Romeo and Mercutio every now and then. Just don't get into any fights"

"I don't fight!" protested Benvolio.

"No, you don't. Make sure the other two don't fight. You don't want to be missing them for the rest of your life"

Beatrix gently patted Anthony's arm "Look, don't worry about Hector. Regina didn't take him back, he went back to his parents in France. And even Tybalt, who visited him twice every month when he was in prison, is wary of him"

"He shouldn't have been let out. Life means life. He should have stayed banged up for the rest of his life!" Anthony almost yelled. He looked at his twins and grandson. Benvolio blinked, and Eliseo's mouth wobbled "Never mind. What's done is done. We can only move on from here. It's just, seeing you two, jetting off into the big wide world, it's making me feel all nostalgic and melancholy"

"I'm hardly going anywhere. I'm stuck working in a beauty parlour, waxing noo noos and all kinds of unthinkable places" grumbled Beatrix.

"You wanted to work there" said Benvolio.

"Yeah, I wanted to work there, because I like cutting hair and doing nails. I do not, however, like to wax people's private parts. It's gross and they yell at you even though they paid you to do it. And I do not like it when Mercutio rings me up, pretending to be an angry customer who's noo noo has fallen off because I've waxed it too much!"

Benvolio snorted "It's funny!"

"It's not funny. My boss believed him, and she's never met Mercutio so she doesn't realize what an absolute idiot he is and believed his complaint and I got given a verbal warning. Luckily, Hermia was nearby and vouched for me about what a prat he can be and managed to get her to take it back"

Benvolio simply rolled his eyes, perking up as the fourth person in the house pattered down the stairs.

"Morning fiancé, morning son, morning in-laws" greeted Hermia, wrapping her arms around Benvolio's shoulders.

"Morning mother of my grandchild. Did you sleep well?" replied Anthony.

"Very well, thanks! How are you feeling, Benny? Are you nervous?"

"Aaah, you're the third person to ask me that! Yes, I'm nervous"

"Good, good. Well, I'm sure you've done great. And if not, you can still work at the bookshop. You know, I've noticed if I'm doing a shift and I have Eliseo with me, people are more likely to buy stuff. What do you reckon?"

"Good boy, Eliseo. Using your smiles is a great business initiative" praised Anthony.

"Acha!"

"What time are we meeting the others? You're opening our results together, aren't you?" asked Hermia.

"Well, we get our results at ten, and I think we're going to meet a couple of minutes before, and then go somewhere that's quiet and open them together. Mercutio's meeting us there with Allegra and he said he's invented a well done dance and if we've passed and got the right grades he'll perform it for us. He also says if we haven't passed and haven't got the right marks he'll sit on the floor and cry" replied Benvolio.

"Ok" said Hermia "I'm going to get dressed"

"See you in a few minutes. I'll start to get Eliseo ready when he's eaten his breakfast and then we'll all head off" Benvolio kissed her, and they both got on with their chores. Benvolio had just finished spooning the last mouthful of food into Eliseo's mouth when his phone buzzed. He pulled it out.

'_Hey babes! Wooshy-wo here. Meet you at school with Wally-wegra. Are you nervous? See you later, sexy bum xxx'_

"Of course I'm nervous!" Benvolio yelled at the screen.


	2. Results Day

Cornadopia - I love making up Eliseo's babbles! He is adorable. And no probs about Allegra!

Well, it's results day for the gang. Let's see if they've all got what they wanted.

* * *

The brown envelopes rested in each of Benvolio, Romeo and Juliet's hands. They'd collected their results together, and had settled down on a bench outside of the school. There was a big group of them – Juliet was there with Lord Capulet, Romeo with his mother, Paulina, Mercutio and Allegra were there for all of them, and Benvolio was here with his dad, Hermia, and Eliseo.

"Are we ready?" asked Mercutio, snapping his hands together.

"No!" The three shook their heads.

"Oh, come on, guys! It took me three seconds to open mine" scolded Mercutio.

"That's because you were taking a gap year and could re-sit if you bummed them up!" protested Romeo.

"Come on, just open the results!" urged Anthony.

"I'll be happy if you've beaten Rosaline, Juliet" said Hermia.

"And I'll be happy if you two beat Tybalt" added Mercutio to Romeo and Benvolio.

"Well, that won't be too hard" snorted Allegra.

"Yeah, he's a retard" added Hermia.

"He did well, and he went to university, and he's had a summer work placement in Venice, and he-"

"Just open them, Juliet!" commanded Lord Capulet.

"Ok" Juliet fumbled with her envelope. She pulled out the piece of paper and gasped "Yes! All A's!"

"You didn't beat Rosaline! You failure!" yelled Hermia.

"Shut up! That's not funny" barked Lord Capulet "You shouldn't compete against other people like that"

"Benny's turn" insisted Mercutio. With trembling fingers, Benvolio fumbled with the seal. Eliseo gurgled at him from his buggy, and Benvolio found a little encouragement. Anticipation throbbed through him, and he pulled out the sheet of paper. After what seemed like an eternity, he opened the paper. He results smiled up at him.

"Oh!"

"What are they?" demanded Anthony.

"Two A*'s and two A's!" Benvolio crowed delightedly.

"Googam!" exclaimed Eliseo. Benvolio reached down and hugged his son joyfully. Hermia was next.

"You beat Rosaline! Take that, bitch!" declared Hermia.

"Pack it in!" sighed Lord Capulet.

"Well, that just leaves you, Woo woo" said Mercutio "Open them!"

"Yeah, let's see if you beat Tibby" added Hermia.

"Don't be so mean! He's doing well" Juliet shook her head.

"Remember, it's not the beating other people that counts, it's the effort" Paulina added "Come on, son, we're all dying to know"

"Ok" Romeo broke open the letter, and then gasped. His round boyish face fell.

"What is it? Is it a D? An E? Or is it a U?" asked Mercutio carelessly.

"I got two A's, a B, and a C"

"Well, they're passes! You beat Tybalt" stated Mercutio.

"My offer was higher. I had to get two A's and two B's to Ca' Foscari" Romeo mumbled.

"Oh" said Benvolio.

"Oh" said Mercutio.

An awkward silence filled the air. Romeo had a place waiting for him at Verona University should he fail to get the grades so that he could go to Venice University, but that meant he wouldn't be with his friends. Mercutio and Benvolio could go to Venice to study, but he couldn't. He was stuck, on his own.

For the first time, the Montague trio was split in half.

"Maybe we could all stay in Verona" suggested Benvolio "Yes, we all applied to Verona University as our backup choices and were offered places. And it would be better for me, Hermia and Eliseo. We'd be closer to home, have more support, and we wouldn't have to split up. We can still live at home, so we won't have to pay bills or rent, it won't be so costly. Mercutio, you can stay near Allegra. And anyway, I liked Verona University, it was...smaller, but it seemed more cosy, right?"

"No, Benvolio. You're going to Venice" said Anthony firmly.

"But, but..." protested Benvolio. He glanced over at Romeo, somehow feeling as if he was about to betray his cousin. This was the plan. They would all stick together. They'd been friends when they were kids, they'd been friends when they were teenagers, they were going to stay being friends in university, when they were adults, and when they were old people in the old people home. Mercutio had already decided that which ever one of them died first had to be given a 'super mega ultra funeral'

"Just go" said Romeo quietly, as Juliet quietly consoled him.

"Sure?" asked Mercutio.

"Yeah. You just go. A degree's a degree. And at least I won't have to put up with Mercutio waking me up at six am or playing his horrible pop music"

"Lady Gaga is amazing" interrupted Mercutio.

"I meant that other stuff! S Club 7, for pity's sake!"

"It has good memories" protested Mercutio. They were interrupted, once again, upon hearing the shouts of Angelo Fulgencio.

"What do you mean, you've failed them all!"

"Fuck you, looks like I'm staying at La Scala, bitch!" shrieked Gabriel.

"Oh dear" shrugged Mercutio "Hey, look on the bright side. None of us will ever have to see Gabriel ever again!"


	3. Off To Venice We Go!

Aw. Poor Romeo. Never mind, it's time for Mercutio and Benvolio to leave for Venice with the girls and Eliseo! Also, meet Adelaide, Mercutio's mum. She'll be featuring in the story a little more this time. Also, shoutout to Cornadopia for letting me include Allegra again. Read and review Mercutio and Allegra if you haven't already.

* * *

The bags were packed. Benvolio was loading the last of his into the back of his car, when Anthony walked out of the front door, and clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm going to miss you"

"I'm going to miss you two" Benvolio nodded.

"You've done me proud with those results" Anthony continued, his eyes shining "If your mother was here today, she'd be so proud of you too. You're a good dad, Benvolio, and you're going to be amazing. You show Ca' Foscari what you're made of"

"I still feel bad about Romeo" muttered Benvolio.

"Don't. He'll be Lord Montague someday, he has plenty of things to fall back on. You've worked your butt off to get to where you want to be. You deserve to go where you will be happy. And you need the experience. You've got to leave the nest someday. I mean, I'll miss having you and Eliseo around, I know you lived mostly at Egues', but still, I'll miss my boys"

"You can come and visit" said Benvolio.

"You know I will. I'm paying a third of the bills, right? And I've bought a third of the stuff? I've got to come and check that you haven't knocked the place to the ground"

"I wouldn't! You know I'm a worryguts, like when I tried to put bolts on the kitchen cupboards to stop Eliseo playing with the bleach and the antifreeze"

"Yeah, but you're sharing with Mercutio. I heard he's painting his room neon pink and neon green"

"Typical" Benvolio rolled his eyes. He looked at the full car. Hermia was just changing Eliseo's nappy, and then they were driving over to her dad's to say goodbye to him and Juliet. Then they were driving over to Mercutio's, where he was waiting with his car, so that they could arrive in Venice at roughly the same time. When they arrived, they would park their cars in the designated car parks for residents, catch a vaporetto to their side of town, and then carry the last of their stuff to the apartment they were staying in. Since receiving their results, over the past few week, they had been slowly filling the apartment with their belongings. Today, they were leaving home for good, so that they had the rest of the summer to get used to their new home.

"Work hard, son" Anthony patted Benvolio on the shoulder, and then pulled him into a hug. Benvolio was surprised. Since the death of his mother when he was ten, he and Anthony had never been close. Anthony was lousy at comforting people and wasn't the greatest person to talk to. Benvolio understood how it had been easier for his dad to cheer up Beatrix. She was just happy with the latest Barbie doll or a new Miley Cyrus CD. But Benvolio had needed someone to talk to, and in Anthony he had never found that.

"We're ready!" announced Hermia, coming out of the house. Eliseo was held closely in her arms. Benvolio let go of his own dad, and secured his son in his car seat. Immediately Eliseo began to grizzle. He hated the car seat.

"I'm sorry, kiddo, but if we crash, you aren't going through the window" said Benvolio firmly.

"Bye, bye, Eliseo. Give Grandpa a kiss" instructed Anthony, leaning through the window and pecking his grandson on the forehead. Eliseo reached out and grabbed his face in two hands as his farewell "Clever boy"

"Bye, Anthony! Thanks for letting us stay!" said Hermia.

"My pleasure. You tell me when you've set a date"

"I will!" Hermia looked proudly at her ring. Normally, she wasn't girly and into hair, make-up, clothes, but she loved her ring. She and Benvolio had chose it together, whilst Juliet looked after Eliseo. Anthony had paid for it.

"Petrol money" said Anthony, handing Benvolio a fist of ten pound notes.

"Dad!"

"What?"

"That's far too much!"

"Well, buy yourself a snack or two then. Treat yourself. I'll miss you"

"You too" Benvolio climbed up behind the wheel, and fastened on his belt. The engine started. Anthony and Beatrix both waved from the gateway.

"Benvolio!" yelled Beatrix.

"Yes?" Benvolio called back, starting to pull out.

"Your truck looks like Bella Swan's from Twilight!"

Benvolio just zoomed away.

After saying goodbye to Juliet and Lord Capulet, they met up with Mercutio saying goodbye to his mum.

"Bye mummy!" beamed Mercutio.

"If the Venetian ambassador returns you after you've capsized a gondola, I will beat you on the buttocks with a rolling pin" said Adelaide firmly.

"That sounds a bit Freudian!" exclaimed Allegra from the car.

"I will be your little angel" replied Mercutio, giving her his freakiest smile.

"Of course you will, Mercutio" said Benvolio fondly. He turned to Mercutio's mum "Don't worry, I'll look after him. The trick is to just ignore him. Even if he...tap-dances naked on the table"

"Great idea, thanks, Benvolio!" exclaimed Mercutio.

"Oooh, get your dance shoes on, Merc!" giggled Allegra.

"Don't encourage him!" sighed Benvolio "And anyway, what are you doing here? I thought you were just staying in Verona for the summer, and then you were-"

"That'll do, Bennykins! Wally-wegra is coming on holiday to Venice now" Mercutio said firmly, glancing at his mum and brother before anyone could ask anymore questions. They didn't seem particularly phased, and so he sighed with relief.

His brother Valentine hugged him, and then Mercutio decided to successfully traumatize his brother by kissing him on the forehead. Valentine yelled, and tried to rub it off. Adelaide sighed, and massaged her temples with her finger tips.

"Bye, family! Love you, family!" called Mercutio, jumping into the front seat of his car. Allegra turned up the volume on his CD player. S Club 7 really did come roaring out of the speakers, and once again, Benvolio felt like banging his head against the steering wheel.

"Look" said Hermia, yanking open the compartment box to reveal a bag of toffees "Provisions"

Benvolio sighed with relief. When Mercutio was being stupid and threatening to do even more silly things, at least he had Hermia to reassure him. She could make him feel better about anything.


	4. Happily Never After

Cornadopia - Consider it to be Benvolio's farewell present from her!

Oreoskidz - I kind of feel bad knowing she's not going to be in it much, and I do love having her around...

Change of scenery! We're going from Venice to Milan to see how Gabriel's getting along. Did he get his happily ever after at the ballet company of his dreams? Also, I don't what happens if you get 'fired' at La Scala, so I just made it up.

* * *

"What do you mean, you're letting me go?" shrieked Gabriel.

The Ballet Company Director stared back at him.

"At La Scala, we don't tolerate behaviour like yours"

"I didn't do anything" protested Gabriel.

"You shut someone in a cupboard" snapped the director.

"I did not, he did it himself" Gabriel cried "He did it to stitch me up because I got to dance in front of him. He's jealous of me"

"And what about the ridiculous rumours going around? I've spoken to everyone else at the company, and they all come round pointing to you" the director crossed his arms and leant back in his chair. Gabriel watched, absolutely devastated.

"It wasn't me" said Gabriel, lowering his voice "I've done my best to get on with everyone here. I've made friends with some of the other dancers. I did not, and have not, spread rumours about people. Everybody talks about people behind their backs. People talk about me behind my back. I have not caused any trouble. I have tried my best to get on with everyone"

"Since you've been here, you've been nothing but trouble" scolded the director "You turned up late-"

"It wasn't my fault! It was one time. My neighbour is an old woman, she had a fall and I had to get her to the hospital. Just ask my dance teacher back in Verona, he can tell you that I've never been late"

"And you refuse to conform to the uniform codes"

"The women's uniform is much more comfortable, I dance much better wearing it"

"Or cut your hair"

"I like my hair!"

"I think it's time you left, Gabriel" said the director.

"Fine then!" screeched Gabriel "I bet you're jealous of me as well, you ugly bald egghead. You're probably only bald because your head is so far up your own arse that all the hydrochloric acid in your stomach burnt it off!"

"Get out!"

"Gladly" snarled Gabriel "See you when...I'm on the cover of Vogue!"

He stormed out the office and along the corridor. He shoved past old colleagues and other dancers. The boy who had stitched him up smirked at him. Gabriel hissed at him. He couldn't believe it. This was his dream, in ruins, after only a few short weeks. And he hadn't done anything! That guy had had it in for him. From the very beginning, when Gabriel had excelled in rehearsal and he had tripped up, and Gabriel had just so happened to snigger, he'd hated him. And so he'd gone lying to the director, blaming Gabriel for being the source of nasty rumours about the other dancers. Then, he'd shut himself in a cupboard and said to everyone that Gabriel had done it, when, in actual fact, Gabriel had been in rehearsal. And it was not Gabriel's fault he'd been late! The lovely old lady who lived in the apartment below Gabriel's had had a fall and Gabriel had taken her to hospital. He couldn't have just left her there. What kind of person would do that? She treated him like a grandson. Oh, and believe it or not, but the women's uniform and leotards were so much more comfortable and easier to dance in. Gabriel only wore them in rehearsals, not to performances. It didn't hurt anyone or give a wrong impression to anyone watching a show. That director was jealous of him, because Gabriel was young and pretty and had a future ahead of him. One day, he'd show him.

Gabriel stormed out into the sunlight and ran down the steps, hurrying to the town centre. It was crowded, as usual. Milan was a lot bigger than Verona. It had been a little intimidating to Gabriel, but he'd felt at home within days. His apartment had stunning views. Gabriel never got sick of waking up. He watched the sunset and the sunrise, went shopping in the capital of fashion (Gabriel loved clothes and shoes) He'd never felt so free in his life.

And now it was gone. Gabriel slammed his feet down on the pavement, heading back home. There was no point staying Milan now. He had no job, no friends, no family, and no girlfriend.

His mind finally turned to his family and Amparo when he reached his apartment. He slammed shut the front door, and then ran into his bedroom. He flung himself down on his bed, sobbing. What would Angelo say? Gabriel had begged and pleaded and whined and cried to go to La Scala. Now it was gone. Angelo would laugh at him. All those losers in Verona who'd laughed at him for being a ballerina would laugh even more if he crawled back defeated. No. Gabriel would not go back to Verona, even if he was starving and broke.

Then he thought of Amparo. Amparo was currently working in Mantua. They had not broken up. They were just having a long-distance open relationship. Gabriel would never go starving or broke. She paid his bills, and for his apartment. She only wanted the best for her little El. That was her nick-name for him. Gabriel cried into his pillow, wanting her more than ever. He could go to Mantua, and reunite with her. She'd take care of him, and help him find a job or get into a university. She'd helped him get into La Scala. Surely she'd look after him. But Gabriel didn't want to run to her after all their hard work had been put to waste.

Slowly, Gabriel sat up. It was getting dark now. His apartment was in shadows. He feed his cat, Snooky, and then pulled out his suitcase. First, he threw all his clothes into it. Then he went into the bathroom, grabbed his toiletries, hair care products, skin care products, nail care products, and perfume. His shoes and dance equipment went next. He didn't have a lot of food, as he was trying to keep his weight low, so he left it. The apartment looked very bare once he was finished. Gabriel crammed shut the lid, and sat on his sofa, wondering what to do.

He could make his mind up later, when he was at the train station tomorrow morning. It was too late to catch a train now. Gabriel slipped off his clothes, and crawled into bed. He fell into a heavy, sorrowful sleep.


	5. Our New Apartment

Aw, poor Gabriel. Who here thinks he deserved it? I've noticed people are less likely to review on Gabriel-focussed chapters. But, let's skip back to the gang, who we all love!

By the way, John Bowlby is an actual psychologist. I wrote this chapter last December, when I was revising for my exams in January and couldn't resist slipping him in, since Eliseo is at the right baby age.

* * *

"Oh wow! Check out this place!" cried Hermia as she climbed out of the car. Benvolio fussed around her, making sure her baby sling was secure and Eliseo wouldn't fall in a canal or something.

"Jagalow" stated Eliseo.

"What's a jagalow, my little angel?" asked Hermia.

"Jaga jagalow!" cried Eliseo eagerly, clapping his chubby fists together.

"Jagalow!" Hermia cooed back. She waved Benvolio away, and he picked up their suitcase from the back of the car. Mercutio was carrying his, and Allegra carried her own.

"Look at all the statues" said Benvolio, looking around.

"They're gorgeous. I wonder if anybody knows any stories about them" said Mercutio "Shall we get going? I'm knackered from all that driving"

"My eardrums are still ringing after putting up with that horrible music throughout the whole motorway" muttered Benvolio.

"Aha" said Hermia, slinging Eliseo's changing bag over her shoulder. They left the car park carrying their stuff to catch the vaporetto, that would take them to the area where they were going to live in.

"This case is heavy" complained Mercutio.

"Why did you pack that karaoke machine, then?" asked Allegra.

"It has good memories. Me and Hermia pissing off Paris, pissing off Uncle Es, and the day we discovered that at the palace, my bedroom was directly on top of Eugene's study. Ah, good times, good times"

"I remember" Benvolio nodded, but then he turned back to Allegra "How long are you staying?"

"Forever"

Benvolio laughed "No, really. When are you going back to France?"

"I'm never going back to France" said Allegra.

"What?"

"You heard me. I said I'm never going back to France" said Allegra "I ran away after I had a fight with my dad. And I live in Verona now. Well. Venice, I mean"

"What do your parents think of this?" gaped Benvolio.

"Oh, they don't care" snorted Allegra "I've only had a couple of texts from Ricardo, but that's it. You guys are my family now"

After hauling their stuff on and off the vaporetto, they followed Benvolio's directions, walked down a few streets and found themselves outside of their new apartment.

"Wow. Look at this. It's so beautiful. I mean, the views that we are going to have! Perfect place to bring up our baby" remarked Hermia. Benvolio produced a key, and opened the door. They let themselves into the hallway, chatting and discussing the place.

"Oh no. Students. They're going to throw wild parties and drink liquor every night" an old woman tutted at the top of the stairs.

"Oh no. An old lady. She's going to throw wild Age Concern meetings and drink Bailey's every night" tutted Mercutio, sucking his teeth in imitation. It was all Allegra and Hermia could do not to laugh.

"Don't worry, ma'am. We're very well-behaved, especially as we have a baby" Benvolio said politely.

Mercutio bent over to whisper in Allegra's ear "But I bet she's a very badly behaved old lady!"

Allegra laughed so hard that her bubblegum spat out her mouth onto the floor. She picked it up with a tissue and put it in the bin as the old lady tutted. They picked up their bags and began the walk up the stairs.

"Grandma, we love you. Grandma, we do!" sang Mercutio under his breath as they walked up the stairs.

"The top apartment, when we have still got to bring Eliseo's buggy up with us" grumbled Benvolio.

"Well, it will keep you fit" said Mercutio "And it will keep Hermia fit too. She still needs to burn off her pregnancy weight"

"Hey!" yelled Hermia, almost kicking his suitcase back down the stairs. Her voice echoed around, so that the old lady would have surely heard her.

"Stop that, we don't want her coming after us!" Benvolio wrestled with the key and then sprung open the door. He was first in the apartment, and the rest of the group followed after. Their apartment consisted of a large living room, with a kitchen on one side, and doors to the bedrooms and the bathroom on the other side so that it was an L-shape around the stairwell. Benvolio and Hermia would be sharing one, Mercutio had a room that he would share with Allegra, and Eliseo would have the smallest room for when he was old enough not to co-sleep with his parents.

"Look at this space!" said Allegra, whirling around and slumping on a sofa that they had already brought in.

"Finally, I have a home" beamed Mercutio, slumping down next to her. He stretched his hands out at a gigantic television in front of him, paid for them by his mother "Check out the TV!"

"Have we got food?" asked Hermia, opening the cupboards and searching.

"Yes. I did some shopping last time we were here. Non-perishables, and such" said Benvolio, cuddling her from behind and pecking her on the cheek.

"You're so sensible" cooed Hermia, clasping his cheeks in her hands, and then rubbing her nose against him "We have cereal, macaroni and cheese, spaghetti, tea, coffee, hot chocolate. Mercutio, you're on cooking duty!"

"I'll make us...Sausage Surprise!" imitated Mercutio.

"Yeah, and I'll order takeout" groaned Allegra.

"I still can't believe you said it was crap, to her face and in front of Tybalt!" chortled Hermia. Allegra just shrugged. Hermia unstrapped Eliseo, and then popped him down on the rug in front of the sofa. She collapsed down next to Mercutio and Allegra and stuck her feet up on the coffee table.

"Since this is our apartment, I give us all permission to put our feet up on the coffee table" said Hermia.

"Good. And I also give permission for rude noises to be made at the dinner table, rude inappropriate jokes to be told, chewing gum to be chewed, pop music to be played at any time, any day, expression of personality at any time, any place, any day, and overall fun, fun, fun to be had" added Mercutio.

"Paradise" said Allegra. Eliseo crawled about on the rug, exploring his new surroundings. Hermia glanced over to check on him, and he glanced over to check she was still there. She smiled at her baby, and he continued on his path.

"How come he does that?" asked Mercutio.

"Does what?" Hermia asked back.

"Always looks for you, to make sure that you're there"

"Have you ever read up on John Bowlby?" asked Benvolio, boiling some water in the new kettle.

"No. Who is he?"

"A psychologist. When I was dating Rose, she was learning psychology. Still is, I think. She's studying it at some Paduan University, I heard. But anyway, she was doing this attachment theory thing about babies and mothers and about how they formed an attachment within the first few months of life. Some say it's for survival, others say it's a learnt behaviour. It's not weird – it means Eliseo is securely attached to us. Apparently, he only has an attachment with Hermia at the moment as he is only eight months, but in another two or three, he'll make start to make multiple attachments with family and friends alike"

"Wow. Thanks for the psychology lecture, Encyclopaedia Boy" replied Mercutio.

"Well, where do you come into it?" asked Allegra.

"Unfortunately, John Bowlby did not study the role of fathers or siblings. But apparently, some babies form attachments with both their parents. I think he has, anyway" Benvolio beamed, as Eliseo crawled to his feet and held up his arms, wanting a cuddle. Benvolio scooped him up and kissed his chubby cheek.

After settling in, and unpacking several of their things in their rooms, Mercutio started to cook them all pasta and sauce. They spent the sofa sitting around their lovely new giant telly, watching DVDs as they hadn't got their TV license yet. Mercutio even cracked out some alcohol after Hermia put Eliseo to bed in his cot. That evening was sheer bliss, as they revelled in the novelty of their own place.


	6. Shylock

Oreoskidz - HAHAHA! Beatrix would be exactly like that when she's old.

Back to Gabriel! And today, I introduce you to the Child Swap Series version of Shylock. Let me know what you think. Love him, hate him? Are you going to be on Team Anthony or Team Shylock? I ought to set up another poll. Also, sorry about the French/German thing. It's just a joke, no offence intended.

* * *

The next morning, Gabriel slept in a little as he had been awake all night packing. And he had no dance rehearsal to get to. After gathering the rest of his belongings and having a shower, Gabriel skipped breakfast, fed Snooky and put her in a pet carrier, and headed down the stairs. He said goodbye to Gloria, his neighbour. She was sad to see him go, but there was nothing to be done. With a promise to stay in touch, Gabriel rattled along to the train station.

It was busy there, as it was rush hour. There was a train to Mantua, a train to Verona, and a train to Venice. Whilst Gabriel waited to make his decision, he bought a newspaper and a coffee.

"Gabriel?" asked a voice. Gabriel turned around.

"Shylock?" he asked.

"It's you!" cried Shylock.

"Oh my God, it's you! Where did you go? You just disappeared!" gasped Gabriel. He put down his coffee and newspaper, and then he and Shylock embraced each other. He remembered Shylock well. Back in Verona, Gabriel had hung out at a nightclub owned by Shylock and they had been quite close friends.

"I went back to Venice to be with my family. I've been working here on a...business trip, shall we call it? What are you doing here?"

Gabriel winced, letting go "I'm just leaving, actually. I..." Gabriel looked at the queue behind him as they frowned impatiently "Shall we sit down? It's kind of a long story"

"Sure, sure! Tell me everything"

"I got into La Scala"

"That's brilliant!" exclaimed Shylock.

"No, I just got thrown out. Some little skeez lied to get me out. He said I locked him in a cupboard, when I didn't. I tried so hard to be nice to people!"

"Oh, Gabriel" sighed Shylock, stroking his hand "Where are you going now?"

"I don't know" Gabriel sobbed, sinking his face into his hands "I don't know whether to go home to Angelo in Verona, where everyone will laugh at me and he'll just laugh at me as well. Or go to Mantua and meet up with Amparo, my girlfriend. She helped me get in. I don't want to disappoint her, by crawling into her arms empty-handed"

Shylock nodded sympathetically, but then his eyes sparkled with glee "Come to Venice with me!"

"Venice?" asked Gabriel.

"Yes! I have another night club and I've got some rooms to rent. I can put you up. I've always liked you, you're a nice lad. I'll give you a job, you can bartend, you can perform. You always liked performing in Verona, didn't you? And you can stay there. You have a lot of potential, you know. You could make it. And you'll be in Venice. It's really beautiful. You'll love it there"

"Venice" repeated Gabriel. He liked the sound of it. He'd never been to Venice. He'd been to a lot of places with Angelo on his business trips, but never Venice "Yes, Venice" Gabriel nodded "I'll do it!"

"Come on, then! Let's get you a ticket"

Gabriel paid for his ticket, and then they sat on the platform waiting. The train was crowded, and he and Shylock pushed their way through the crowd. They fought their way to a seat by the window. The train started to pull away from the station, and Gabriel actually laughed. He pulled open the window wide, cupped his hands around his mouth, and shouted.

"Au revoir, La Scala! Auf wiedersehen, Milan!"

"I didn't know you spoke French and German" said Shylock.

"I can. Angelo hired tutors for me so he could take me with him if he had to travel to other countries. I used to torment my babysitters, you see"

"I can imagine that!" snorted Shylock.

"And I also went on exchanges to France and Germany as well. I think my exchange partners are still in therapy"

Shylock snorted again "What did you do them, Gabriel?"

Gabriel giggled "The German one? Well, his dad was a butcher and they all stuffed their faces with sausages so I set free all their livestock. I'm a vegetarian, what was I supposed to do? And the French one? He had bad garlic breath. So I put snails in his bed!"

"You crack me up, kid" chuckled Shylock. Several businessmen and woman looked at them grumpily. Gabriel climbed down from the window and closed it.

"Right now, Amparo is teaching me Spanish. When I get things right, she rewards me with kisses"

"Hot" said Shylock "So, tell me about Amparo. What's she like?"

"Well..." began Gabriel.

The train ride lasted for two hours and a half. Nursing cramped limbs, Gabriel and Shylock clamoured off the train, out of the station, and down the street.

"Welcome to Venice" said Shylock. Gabriel looked around. It was beautiful, just as his companion had promised. It was midday, so the sun shone high in the sky and dappled on the water, like little sparkles. There were amazing statues with architecture that Gabriel had never thought possible. The water lapped against the side of the street, and he looked down in amazement.

"We're going to get a gondola. Have you ever been in a gondola before, Gabriel?"

"No" answered Gabriel. He pulled his suitcase along after them, and then Shylock helped him push it into one. It wobbled, and Gabriel giggled precariously, settling with Snooky's carrier on his lap. Then they were off. It was amazing, feeling the slow steady rocking sensation. The city floated past, and Gabriel looked around in amazement.

"Madonna's Like A Virgin video was filmed here" said Gabriel.

"I know. Does it remind you of it?"

"Yeah. It's beautiful. Do you like living here more than Verona?"

"Absolutely. It feels like home here"

At their stop, Shylock helped Gabriel heave his case and Snooky out the boat, and then he carried it along the streets, with Shylock leading the way. It looked a little more seedy in this area, but, Gabriel reminded himself, it wasn't all for tourists. They reached the door of a bar, and Shylock pushed open the door. Gabriel followed, dragging his case.

"Jessica! I'm back!"

There was the sound of footsteps, and Jessica hurried out from behind the bar "Dad! You're back! Oh, Gabriel! What a surprise"

"Hello, Jessica" replied Gabriel.

"Jess, Gabriel's been thrown out La Scala Ballet Company for something he didn't do" explained Shylock "So I said he could come with me, and that I'd give him a job. And a room to rent"

"Of course! Gabriel, welcome to Venice. We were going to have a family dinner to celebrate dad coming home, but I suppose you could join in as well"

"That won't be a problem" added Shylock "I'll settle in, then I'll show you to a room, and let you get settled. And then we'll be off"


	7. Mercutio In A Gondola

Cornadopia - If you had a laptop, you couldn't!

Well, we've met Shylock, now let's skip back to the gang. I don't know what usually happens when you're in a gondola, ie. how you signal that you need one, so let's pretend, ok?

* * *

Waking up with Hermia's arms lightly thrown around him, it took Benvolio a while to get used to his unfamiliar surroundings, but then he remembered. He was at home. His home. Eliseo was still sleeping. He was waking up less at night, which Benvolio was very pleased about. He listened to the soothing sounds of their breathing, before Hermia started to wake up.

"Is Eliseo up yet?" she murmured against his chest.

"No. Be quiet and we'll get a lie in"

"Good"

It had been a very warm night, and so the window was open by a little crack. A soft morning breeze played around the room. Hermia snuggled against his shoulder, and Benvolio ran his fingers through her hair. She purred like a little cat and curled up closer to him. They could lie like this forever.

"How was your sleep?" asked Hermia, caressing his back in circles with her fingertips.

"Good. And it was even better because I had you to cuddle up to"

"You like my cuddles, don't you?" Hermia climbed up and sat on his back, massaging his shoulders. Benvolio sighed delightedly. The door barged open and Mercutio, already washed and dressed in his infamous pink trousers and a purple 'I love Venice' t-shirt, jumped on the end of their bed.

"Morning!"

"Mercutio!" gasped Benvolio, yanking the duvet over himself as Hermia scrambled off of him "It's too early!"

"It's eight. And I figured you would want me to make you your breakfast, so I thought I'd wake you. But it seems you're already awake, and up for sexy time. Want a cup of tea first?"

"Number one. We weren't having sexy time. I was giving Benny a morning massage. Number two. No, I don't want a cup of tea. I hate tea, I only drink hot chocolate. Number three. Want to change Eliseo's nappy for me?" asked Hermia, readjusting the duvet around them both. She'd been sleeping in just a vest and shorts, and poor Benvolio had had the misfortune of Mercutio's barging in on him when he was in his underwear.

"Ok" said Mercutio. He bent over Eliseo "How's my favourite little godson? Want to come and have breakfast with Uncle Wooshy-wo and Aunty Wally-wegra and let mummy and daddy have sexy time? Yes? Is that a yes? Come on then!"

He scooped him up to go and change him. Hermia and Benvolio curled up again.

"He's such a useful babysitter. And I don't feel bad about leaving him with Mercutio like I did with the nurse" said Hermia.

"Perhaps this is why I put up with him this long. I hope he doesn't bust in on us like that for the next three or four years!"

"Aw. You love your Wooshy-wo really. You've been friends for eighteen years now. Since the day you were born. How cute"

"I'm not eighteen yet" added Benvolio "My birthday's not until the 20th. It's going to be my first birthday without Beatrix. That'll be weird"

"It'll be good. You won't have to have a Twilight cake"

"Don't start!" yelled Benvolio, bashing Hermia with a pillow as she cackled away with glee. After getting up and joining Mercutio, Allegra and Eliseo for breakfast, they got dressed and got ready to go out.

"I want to go in a gondola" said Mercutio.

"So do I" said Hermia, helping Benvolio fasten Eliseo in his baby sling against his chest.

"Do you reckon if I pay the person who steers them double he'll go really fast?" asked Mercutio.

"Don't count on it" said Allegra "But let's try anyway!"

"Woohoo!" shrieked Mercutio, throwing open the door and traipsing down the stairs. That old woman who had scowled at them yesterday peered out of her front door at them, so Mercutio greeted her cheerfully. She rolled her eyes and shut the door.

"Old cow" muttered Allegra.

"Moo!" said Hermia.

"Moo!" repeated Mercutio louder.

"Stop it, she'll hear you!" scolded Benvolio, but he was giggling too.

"Baa!"

"Stop that, Allegra!"

"Ok, ok, no more animal noises anymore anyone" said Allegra. They were silent until they reach the bottom of the stairs.

"Meow!" purred Mercutio.

"Enough!" Hermia let them out into the sunlight. They were greeted by a busy street of people hurrying down to the market, and wove their way through it to a canal where the gondolas waited. The sunlight shimmered on the water, as it promised to be a baking hot day.

"Ok. I'll get us one. Yoohoo! Gondola Man over there! Yes, that's right! We want a ride in your gondola!" called Mercutio. The boat glided across to them, and they all pattered down the steps neatly, with Benvolio clutching his son for dear life. Benvolio sat carefully at the prow, and then Mercutio sat in front of him, with Hermia and Allegra sitting in front of the Gondola Man to steady it.

"Let's go! Right, Gondola Man, I'll pay you double, if we can go super fast" grinned Mercutio. The gondola started to glide slowly down the river. Mercutio shrieked with delight. Eliseo crowed with laughter and started to babble, Benvolio smiled at him, and held him closer as he wobbled from side to side.

"This is so fun! I've always wanted to go in a gondola" said Allegra "Look at all the buildings! Can we go and visit some of the attractions sometime?"

"Sure" said Hermia "We've got all the time in the world"

Mercutio was practically bouncing up and down "I love Venice. I've only actually been here for a few hours, but I love it already. Hey, did you know, Madonna's Like A Virgin video was filmed here?"

"Yeah! I love that song" said Hermia.

"Is that the one where she dances around in the gondola?" asked Allegra.

"Yeah! Want a demonstration?"

"Go on then!" encouraged Allegra. With her eyes on him, Mercutio knew he had to do it. He rose to his feet, swaying slightly. He took in a deep breath, and bobbed from side to side.

"Like a virgin! Touched for the very first time!"

"Mercutio! Get down!" cried Benvolio "We'll capsize!"

"No, we won't!" laughed Hermia "Allegra, take a picture!"

"I am!" giggled Allegra, holding up her phone to film him "This is too funny!"

"Smile!" beamed Hermia.

"Like a virgin, when your heart beats! Next to mine. Gonna give you all my love boy-"

"Mind the bridge!" Benvolio cried. Mercutio narrowly ducked, and Benvolio sank his head in despair on Eliseo, who was just giggling in baby language.

"My fear is fading fast!" Mercutio ducked again, as Allegra filmed away "I've been saving it all for you, 'cause only love can last. You're so fine! And you're mine! I'll be yours, till the end of time. 'cause you made me feel, yeah you made me feel, I've nothing to hide..."

"Like a virgin!" joined in Hermia "Touched for the very first time!"

"Not you too! Oh, Allegra, please say you won't join in this monstrosity of noise and stupid behaviour!"

"Like a virgin! When your heart beats, next to mine!" sang Allegra. Benvolio moaned, and Eliseo giggled some more.

"Signor! Get down!" the Gondola Man suddenly shouted. Mercutio turned around, looking sulky. He sat down wordlessly in his seat. He turned to look at Allegra, and then looked back at Benvolio. Without warning, he dipped his hand in the river and soaked Benvolio. Eliseo shrieked along with Benvolio.

"You got Eliseo wet!" snapped Benvolio, tending to his baby.

"Signor! I will throw out of my gondola if you cannot behave yourself!"

Mercutio just sniggered. Hermia didn't look impressed, as Benvolio handed her Eliseo so that they could dry themselves off. Only Allegra was laughing. The Gondola Man was shaking his head crossly.

"I don't like gondolas anymore" muttered Mercutio.


	8. Gabriel's New Place

So...now we have had a glimpse of what riding in a gondola with Mercutio must be like! Poor Eliseo.

* * *

Gabriel sat down on his bed. He had a room at the top of the building of Shylock's nightclub. They'd finished dinner ages ago, and Gabriel's stomach was full. He barely ever ate a full dinner, wanting to keep his weight low, but now he was out of La Scala, there was no point in trying. The ceiling was sloped, so that the window was directly above his head if he lay down. It was dusk and so it was slowly growing dark. For the first time before he got...fired, he supposed, Gabriel pulled out his phone and dialled Amparo.

"Hello?" was her smooth rich voice.

"Hi, Amparo" said Gabriel, flopping down backwards on the bed from his sitting position. Snooky leapt upon his tummy and purred. Gabriel absentmindedly stroked her long white fur.

"My El! How are you?"

"I'm ok. For now" Gabriel rolled his eyes, not looking forward to having to tell her about La Scala.

"What's the matter?"

Gabriel sighed. He loved the way she could tell his mood, just by listening to the tone of his voice. But, that meant telling her his bad news. It was best to get it over with "I just got chucked out La Scala for something I didn't do"

"What? Why? You said they were impressed with you! Who threw you out? I'll ring them up now, and tell them there must be some sort of mistake. What happened?"

"It was the one who was jealous of me" snitched Gabriel "The one who fell over in rehearsals. He spread rumours about people, and said I spread them. Then he shut himself in a cupboard and said I'd done it. And I was late the other day because Gloria had had a fall, and so they decided to 'let me go' as the director put it. I was devastated, so I...said something rude. And then I left"

"What are you going to do now? Do you want to come to me?"

"No, it's ok" replied Gabriel "I was thinking about it. But you'll never guess who I met at the train station"

"Who?"

"Shylock! The guy I told you about. You see, I packed my bags and was at the station, wondering whether or not I should go back to Verona with Angelo or Mantua with you, and I bumped into him. We chatted, and then I went to Venice with him. And that's where I am now. In Venice!"

"Venice? But we were going to go during Christmas"

"I know, I know. It was going to be our little holiday" sighed Gabriel "But he's given me a job and a room. He says I can bartend. And I can perform. He says, if I work hard enough, I could become a star"

Gabriel gazed out of the window in delight, watching a few stars twinkle enticingly at him.

"Of course you could, El. There's something special about you, and we both know it. Do you need any money at all?"

"No, I think I'm all right"

"That's good. Let me know. I miss you, you know. What would I give to be in Venice with you right now. I miss stroking your blond hair. Tell me what it's like. Tell me where you are staying"

"This room I have is really artsy. Very bohemian" Gabriel lowered his voice "It has a sloped ceiling so that the window is above the bed. I can see all the stars twinkling. And if I sit up, I can see the moon's reflection in the water. It's very beautiful. I was in a gondola earlier on. It's so peaceful and so gentle. I wish we were together. I wish we could have ridden together. Maybe one day you could come and join me. It was only a two hour train ride from Milan. And when you join me, we'll go for walks, and visit the Accademia, Galleria dell', like we planned. And we could visit the Palazzo Ducale and the Rialto. Perhaps we could get a hotel room by the Grande Canal. During the evening, we'll go out for a meal, and then we'll stroll down the Canal, and ride a gondola in the light of the moon"

"I can't wait" sighed Amparo "I can imagine you looking right up at the moon right now through that window"

"Oh, I am. Are you?"

"Yes"

They were silent for a couple of moments, contented with listening to the sound of each other's breath. Gabriel sighed. They could do this for ages. Gabriel was sometimes somewhat of an insomniac. He would often lie awake at night just listening to the sound of her breathing. In fact, when he admitted it to her, she laughed and confessed to doing the same. It was this kind of openness that he revelled in.

"Amparo?"

"Yes?"

"What you said about when I went to Milan...is still ok for us to have an open relationship?"

"Gabriel. You're young. You just have fun. Don't worry about only committing yourself to me yet. But remember, stay safe"

"Yes, Amparo"

"You are a little sweetheart" he heard her sigh "Take this opportunity with both hands, and have fun! You're only young once. La Scala doesn't deserve you. And if things don't work out in Venice, well, you know where I am. I can still get you into a university. If you need money, let me know"

"I will. But I think I'm ok for now. When we're both back in Verona, will we still get a place together? And we'll get the greyhounds?"

"Of course. I've had an estate agent look into some places already. There's one place with a very large area of land, so you'll be able to have your horse live with us. It will all work out in the end, El"

"I hope so" Gabriel yawned. He was exhausted from travelling that day.

"You sound tired"

"I am"

"Get some sleep now, Gabriel. Ring me in the morning. Well, around midday as that's when I get my break. Oh, I can't wait until business in Mantua is finished. I'm sure your father sent me to Mantua instead of Clive just to get at us"

"Stupid man. I haven't rung him yet"

"You don't have too"

"Then I won't" sang Gabriel "But he did say he wanted a better relationship with me last Christmas, even though he screamed at me about my shitty results. I'll wait a while"

"That's my good boy. Call me tomorrow. Get some sleep, and take some pictures of Venice for me tomorrow. I love you, my El"

"I love you too, Amparo"

They hung up, and Gabriel pulled off his clothes, before crawling into bed, and crashing out.


	9. Scars, From The Past

Cornadopia - Haha, thanks for the shoutout.

Right, let's skip on over Tybalt and Rosaline, who we haven't seen yet. And in the meantime, have a disclaimer. Simon's not mine. He's Cornadopia's OC in her awesome fanfiction, Mercutio and Allegra.

* * *

Tybalt stared at himself in the mirror, and slowly rubbed in the expensive cream Rosaline had bought him onto his scar. It was still thick, and an angry red, although it didn't hurt anymore. Only if he stretched too much or slammed into something. He didn't need the painkillers anymore, but he still had them, just in case.

It was an ugly scar. Ugly shape, ugly colour, ugly texture. Tybalt had plenty of other scars, such as scabs he'd picked off when he was a kid, but they were different. They were normal. He also had a tattoo on his leg, but that was his choice. He wanted the tattoo. He didn't want this scar.

With a sigh, he dumped the cream back down on the sink so Rosaline would know he had used it this evening. She disliked his scar, and he knew it. She didn't say much about it, but Tybalt pretty much guessed by the way she shuddered whenever she touched it. And she insisted on him using the cream. It didn't work. He'd been using it for a month, and it hadn't done anything.

It was Gabriel's fault. Tybalt had never really liked the brat in the first place. He was just as bitchy as Rosaline could be, but there was absolutely nothing about him that Tybalt found redeemable or even likeable. The kid was coward, plain and simple. He couldn't fight or defend himself, so he just made up sneaky little schemes. Kind of like how the Montagues used to be, when they were still feuding. Except, schemes made up by Montagues usually involved prank calls and food fights. Tybalt rolled his eyes.

"Tibby!" called Rosaline.

"Yeah?" Tybalt called back.

"It's late. Come to bed. You know I can't sleep without a roll in the sack first"

Tybalt grinned, and paced back down the halls of the house to the room they were staying in. The house was actually Simon's. When Tybalt and Rosaline had applied and been accepted for their internship with a financial company in Venice, Simon had let them stay at his place. He and his family didn't live here, they only used it for business trips and such. As a favour for helping Simon get out of a few 'legal difficulties' he and his family let them stay here for free. Boy, did they love it here.

It was larger than their bungalow, and had great views of the river. It was two-storey, yet it looked taller since the ceilings were high and there were steps up from the street and the river at the front of it. All the walls were painted a stucco cream kind of colour, and had soft fluffy beige cream carpets to match. There were elegant, artful paintings on the wall, although Tybalt had tripped over a small statue and whacked his face on one when they first arrived, much to Rosaline's despair. The TV was bigger, and so in the evenings they curled up together on the squishy leather sofa in front of it. There were plenty of spare bedrooms, and so Tybalt and Rosaline had selected one without disturbing any of the family's stuff.

Tybalt crawled under the covers and curled up to her. They were getting on better now. Rosaline had accepted that he had changed now, and they were closer as they had more things to talk about that they both had in common.

"I can't believe it's nearly the end of August. I'm going to miss it here" sighed Rosaline, throwing an arm around his shoulders.

"Me too" replied Tybalt, stroking her blonde hair "But I'm starting to miss Milan, and our own little place"

"It's bigger here. I'd ask Angelo for somewhere bigger, but I don't want to seem ungrateful. Unlike a certain brother I could mention"

Tybalt snorted. He loved it when Rosaline said mean things about Gabriel. It cracked him up, in fact.

"We should write Simon and his folks a Thank You card or something like that. Especially as we didn't have to pay rent or anything" added Rosaline.

"He'd probably lose it. I'll just buy him a few drinks" shrugged Tybalt. He stretched out and pulled Rosaline closer. She pulled his face towards her and kissed him deeply on the lips. After completing their favourite nightly pastime, Tybalt rolled off Rosaline, exhausted, and they snuggled up together, with Rosaline lying on her side and Tybalt wrapped around her.

"Tibby, what's that?" demanded Rosaline, sitting up.

"Huh?"

"There's footsteps. Go and check it out" Rosaline shoved him out of bed and burrowed under the covers. Half-asleep, half-awake, Tybalt pulled on the first items of clothing he could find, stumbled down the hall, grabbed a china ornament as a weapon, stumbled down the stairs and was perplexed to see Simon himself standing in the hallway, putting down a suitcase and kicking off his shoes.

"Ty, mate!" he exclaimed.

"All right, Simon, what you doing here?" asked Tybalt, rubbing sleep out of his eyes, and putting down the china ornament. He glanced down embarrassedly at what he had been sleeping in. A pair of purple boxer shorts and an ancient t-shirt he'd had since he was thirteen.

"I've come to stay here for a bit. Had some trouble back in Verona so I thought I'd come here. You and Ros don't mind, do you?"

"Nah, no, not at all, I mean, it's your house, isn't it?"

"Thanks, bruv!"

Rosaline appeared at the top of the stairs, wrapped in her silky dressing gown.

"Simon?"

"I've come to stay here for a bit. I had some trouble in Verona. Tybalt says you won't mind, will you?"

"No, of course not" lied Rosaline. Her teeth gritted, she turned to Tybalt. He simply shrugged.


	10. Things Aren't Forgotten

Dawnstar94 - Hey, no problem! Welcome back. I googled your username because I meant to PM you to say thanks for all the reviews on WL? but I think you had disabled them? Never mind, I hope you enjoy the rest of the story!

Cornadopia - Stupid Simon. I should make Rosaline pwn him.

Sorry I didn't update yesterday. I'm doing this project as part of a qualification with my school, and I had to get loads done last night and didn't have a chance to update. I have exams coming up soon, so as a warning, I might not update as regularly. Well, anyway, enough of that. Kind of a sad chapter today, because of the first part, but then it's baby Eliseo's POV!

* * *

Later that night, after Benvolio had berated Mercutio for soaking him and Eliseo, he woke up. The room was dark, no light penetrated through under the door or curtains. Benvolio lay for a while, wondering what had disturbed him. He was used to disturbed sleep – after all, he had Eliseo. But Eliseo took after him, and being disruptive wasn't his usual behaviour. And Benvolio could only hear his soft, rhythmic breathing.

When he realised it wasn't Eliseo crying for his parents, he heard the soft muffled sobbing. That was Hermia. Benvolio's beating heart slowed in anguish. Slowly, so as not to disturb her, he rolled over to face her. Her back was turned to him.

He knew why she preferred not to talk to her friends and family and cry to herself. For someone who's middle name was Girl Power, Benvolio knew Hermia felt more embarrassed than haunted by what had taken place a year ago. It did sting when she brushed him off, but it was her decision.

Mentally, he cursed Demetrius to hell and back. The arse was in prison now for 'shooting Tybalt' even though it had been Gabriel who'd shot him. The Capulets had arranged the whole thing, given the police false statements, and Benvolio had also heard of some financial arrangements put into place. He hadn't listened to anymore, as his concern was for Hermia and Eliseo's welfare, rather than revenge schemes.

Slowly, silently, he scooted over in the bed to be closer to her. His hand reached out, and lay itself on her shoulder.

"Ssh...it's all right, Hermia, I'm here" he murmured quietly.

"Did I wake you?"

"Yes, but it doesn't matter" He stroked her shoulder and her arm soothingly.

"Sorry"

"No, don't apologize, it's all right. There, there. What was it this time? A nightmare?"

"No, no, just emotional. Moving here, the stress, trying to afford everything, like the bills here and the wedding. I miss my dad, I miss Juliet. It's weird waking up in here rather than being back home. And I'm pretty sure I lost some CDs in the move. I know it's petty, but I lost my copy of Little Earthquakes, and I love that album"

"There, there, I'll buy you another. Don't worry about the money at all. Your dad is paying half of Eliseo's stuff, and so's my dad. He said he'd pay it all, remember? We're fine for money. And you can go back and stay with Egues anytime you want. Just let me know and I'll drive you back. I'll do whatever it takes to make you happy, you know that, don't you?"

"Yes" Hermia nodded. Then she sighed "What did I do to deserve you?"

"What did I do to deserve you?" repeated Benvolio. He kissed her forehead, but missed due to the dark and the fact he wasn't wearing his glasses, and instead kissed her eye.

"You need some bulls eye practise!" Hermia wiped her eye dry, and then let Benvolio wrap his arms around her so they could get back to sleep. He cuddled up so closely, that they resembled two spoons curved together in a draw.

"Let's get some sleep. God knows what time Mercutio will wake up this time tomorrow..."

And so that was how the next few days progressed. They chilled out, they spent time together, they went and looked around the sights. Mercutio behaved himself whilst in the presence of Benvolio, however, whenever his back was turned, he would start performing some ridiculous demented dance.

Eliseo settled into his new home comfortably. If he woke up early, and if he wasn't hungry, and he didn't need his nappy changed, and his mummy and daddy were still tired, he got to have a cuddle with his Uncle Wooshy-wo! Uncle Wooshy-wo was never tired, and would always play with him. Or, if Eliseo was tired, his Uncle Wooshy-wo would tell him a story about Queen Mab. Eliseo loved stories all about the fairies, although he was a bit worried they'd steal him and put a changeling child in his place. But at least Uncle Wooshy-wo would protect him.

He missed his grandpas and Aunty Juliet and Uncle Romeo though. He couldn't decide which of his grandpa's he liked best. Grandpa Anthony would crawl on the floor and play rough-tough and tumble games with him, whereas Grandpa Egues would bounce him on his knee and actually take a break from his work.

One morning, he was sitting in his high chair, and his Aunty Allegra was feeding him. Eliseo liked his Aunty Allegra. She had lovely blonde hair that he could pull on whenever he felt like it, and she was funny and always made Uncle Tibby cross. Eliseo didn't see his Uncle Tibby often, but he didn't like him that much because he was so grumpy, so it didn't matter.

"So anyways, are we ever going to go see Tibbles?" asked Mercutio "I want to see him and I want to annoy him. I'm getting withdrawal symptoms"

"Noy noy!" Eliseo shouted.

"Noy noy to you too!" cooed Aunty Allegra. He didn't understand why they always did that. What Eliseo had meant was that he wanted to annoy his Uncle Tibby as well. Unless, of course, Aunty Allegra wanted to annoy him, but Eliseo doubted that.

"Yeah, we should totally invite them to a public place like a restaurant and embarrass them or something. Rosaline would hate that" snorted his mummy.

"Don't be harsh" replied his daddy, drinking some stuff that was called tea.

"It's funny!" protested his mummy.

"It's mean! Tybalt's been nicer, anyway" his daddy shook his head "Besides, we have other stuff to be worried about. My dad wants to come and visit us to see if we're all settled. And I know your mum wants to come and see you too, Mercutio, to make sure everything is all in one piece"

"Oh, she wouldn't care" grumbled his Uncle Wooshy-wo "You know she's always thought there was something wrong with me"

"There's nothing wrong with you, Merc" Aunty Allegra dismissed.

"No. I'm special in my own special way" lisped Uncle Wooshy-wo. The rest of the grown-ups snorted. Eliseo swallowed another mouthful of baby food contemplatively. Would he get to see his Grandpa Anthony? And would he bring his Aunty Beatrix with him? His Aunty Beatrix was a bit weird. She was obsessed with a book called Twilight. Even though he was eight months old, Eliseo was smart enough to know it sucked.

"So, what are we doing today?" asked his mummy.

"Tidying up, of course!" replied his daddy.

"No!" cried the other three.

"Yes! This place is a pigsty already. The TV's dusty and I can't remember the last time anyone bothered to hoover. Or clean the toilet"

"Well, Benvolio, the cleaning stuff is under the sink. Get to it if it bothers you so much" replied Uncle Wooshy-wo.

"That's not fair!" exclaimed his daddy.

"Meemam!" Eliseo contributed.

"See, Eliseo says you should clean up! Right, me, Hermy-wa and my lovely Wally-wegra are going out to spend money and you're going to tidy up"

"But, but" protested his daddy "But you're paying a third of this place. You have to contribute to the upkeep too"

"I'll buy our groceries then" smirked Uncle Wooshy-wo.

"No, because you just buy chocolate" scoffed his mummy "And I'm trying to sift those last few pounds. I'm almost back in the stuff I could wear last year. Some of the smaller stuff is too uncomfortable. And also, Mercutio, we have to be careful with the money. We don't want to spend too much and get our parents into debt"

"Exactly" finished his daddy "But look, we don't need to worry too much about the bills. My dad said he's taking care of all those"


	11. Back In Verona

Dawnstar94 - Oh, no problem. I might make a facebook group for the Child Swap series where I'll post updates about how it's coming along, so if you want to join just let me know.

iluvshinjimina - Yes, Ros and Tibby will be in here. How could I leave them out?

Well, things appear to be going well for the students of Venice. Somehow, I don't think that's going to last. And, today, we find out a little bit about Benvolio's childhood.

* * *

Beatrix was back from work. Today, she'd waxed several noo noos, plucked several pairs of eyebrows, manicured countless pairs of hands and pedicured countless pairs of feet. She wandered down the hallway, feeling hungry and wanting something to eat after a long day.

Beatrix still lived at home, as she didn't have enough money to buy her own place yet. It was so unfair – Anthony paid Benvolio's share of his new home, his university fees, bills, upkeep, and half of Eliseo's upkeep on top of that. Not only that, but he'd paid for Hermia's engagement ring and had agreed to pay for half the wedding, whenever that happened.

And they weren't exactly rolling it in either. Sure, they were Montagues, meaning they were rich, but Anthony was a second son and usually refused to accept any financial assistance from his elder brother. He was prideful, and preferred to pave his own way as a business man. He owned a nightclub and had invested in several other local businesses. Beatrix's mother had also owned a bookstore, that had been in trust under Anthony's name for Benvolio until he was twenty one. Benvolio and Hermia had worked in it to earn some spare cash for themselves, but even so, Anthony still paid for most their upkeep.

After wandering around for five minutes, it appeared her dad wasn't here. With a shrug, Beatrix began to help herself to some snacks. She wasn't obsessed with weight loss and staying in shape like Rosaline, although she was a very girly girl, so she helped herself to whatever she liked. Beatrix went out partying with her friends most nights, so she burnt off whatever calories she ate.

She was just about to throw away an empty packet in the bin, when she caught sight of a white fresh, but crumpled, piece of paper. Beatrix picked it up, and her eyes skimmed the page. It was full of confusing words, like BAILIFF and FINAL DEMAND, and DEBT.

"Shit" muttered Beatrix, wondering whether or not this affected her.

"What are you doing with my bill?"

Beatrix whirled around to face her dad "Are they going to take our stuff away?"

Anthony marched forwards and grabbed the bill from her hands "Don't worry about it. It's my business"

"But what about all the stuff we buy? Like your ipad. And anyway, you said you were going to buy me tickets to go to the premiere of Breaking Dawn Part II"

Anthony rolled his eyes "Whatever, Beatrix. It's nothing for you to worry about. Just carry on as normal and let me deal with it"

He crumpled the bill again and stuffed into the bin again, this time deeper than before. Beatrix watched confused, and then went back to making her snack.

"Why are you back from work?" asked Beatrix.

"None of your business" sighed Anthony.

"Why not?"

"Because" snapped Anthony. Beatrix raised her plucked eyebrows. She wasn't used to him not answering her. She had always been a big time daddy's girl, and he had favoured her over Benvolio during their childhood and adolescence. Well, that didn't surprise Beatrix. Benvolio always kicked up a fuss whenever Anthony had a new girlfriend and whined most the time, so of course Anthony preferred her.

"When are you going to Venice to visit Benvolio?" asked Beatrix.

"Some day soon. Not today. Maybe not tomorrow. I need to give them some time to tidy up. I bet Mercutio's already trashed the place"

"Or painted it pink. I love pink. When I get my new place, do you reckon he'll paint that pink for me too?"

"No idea" Anthony rolled his eyes, and left his daughter in the kitchen.

Beatrix just shrugged. Well, he'd told her not to worry and that it was his business. So, she'd leave it. Beatrix didn't know much about money, anyway. Her ex boyfriend had nearly conned her out of two hundred pounds, and it was none other than Tybalt Capulet who'd helped her get it back. If her dad had told her not to worry and carry on as normal, then she would do just that. There was a pair of earrings she had her eye on, after all.


	12. Boy Gone Wild

Dawnstar94 - Yay, we are Facey friends! I love your name, by the way. I should make that group sometime, if I knew how, lol!

So, looks like Anthony's in debt. Could things get worse? I think they can...

* * *

The morning that Lord Capulet, Hermia's father, Adelaide, Mercutio's mother, and Anthony, Benvolio's father, were due to arrive, Hermia and Benvolio were laying in bed, facing one another. Benvolio rested his head on his arm, and stroked Hermia's silky red hair with the hand of said arm. His other arm lay on her bare shoulder, whilst hers did the same. One hand gently stroked his lips. Benvolio kissed the tips of her fingers and she smiled at him.

Benvolio had just inched closer to kiss her passionately, when Mercutio banged open the door.

"Morning! Rise and shine!"

"Mercutio!" yelled Benvolio pulling the duvet up to cover himself and Hermia.

Mercutio's eyebrows raised "Did I interrupt you or something?"

"Yes!" shouted Hermia.

"Seriously, guys, you should just stop getting intimate when I'm trying to come in and tell you I'm about to make breakfast. And your baby is just sitting a few feet away from you!"

"Sechs" stated Eliseo.

Benvolio shrieked "His first word! Oh my God, his first word was sex! Mercutio, what have you been teaching my baby?"

Mercutio raised his eyebrows higher "Don't you mean, what have you been demonstrating to your own baby?"

"Sechs-echs" Eliseo clapped along to the offending word.

"I don't think he's actually saying the word and understanding it, I think he just likes the sound he's making. He's only eight months. Babies don't usually talk until they're about one" Hermia sat up, pulling her shirt on under the duvet.

"Thank God" muttered Benvolio. He turned back to Mercutio "And you, what are you still doing here? Get out! We don't have any clothes on!"

"Bye, bye prude!" Mercutio bowed out the room and shut the door. The couple heard him loudly telling Allegra what he had just witnessed. Benvolio sighed.

"Hey, don't worry about him. We can just bust in on him when he's in the shower" Hermia soothed.

"He'd probably like it, knowing him" Benvolio pulled on his trousers "I wish Romeo was here. He listens to Romeo when Romeo tells him not to do something. Mercutio just likes embarrassing me so he doesn't know when to stop when I tell him to pack it in"

"Well, I'll talk to him, and tell him to pack it in. And if the worst comes to the worst, then we'll just put a lock on the door. There's a hardware store just down the road. I'm pretty sure I can figure out how to use a drill"

They were interrupted, though, by the sound of bouncing. Now fully dressed, Benvolio rushed out to see Mercutio kicking a ball around the living room.

"What are you doing?" demanded Benvolio "I cleaned up last night! And now you're kicking a ball around the front room? What if you break something?"

"Catch!" yelled Mercutio, flinging it at the doorway where Benvolio stood. Benvolio ducked, and it bounced off the doorframe and into the room. Hermia shrieked in surprise as it bounded off the wall. She just managed to grab Eliseo in time before it landed in his crib.

Benvolio gasped, horrified that his baby son could have been injured. He stormed back into his bedroom, and grabbed the ball.

"Catch it yourself, you careless idiot!" he yelled, storming out and aiming the ball at Mercutio's head.

Now, Benvolio was not an especially sporty person. He'd never joined any sports teams in his youth, and had always been picked last for games. The reason being that he was slightly chubby and hopelessly short-sighted. He was out of breath before he'd even made it around the field. And as for throwing objects, well, he never hit the target. One of his most embarrassing moments had been when he had accidently hit the PE teacher who was being the goalie in the face rather than scored the goal.

Today was no different. The ball missed Mercutio, and hit the television. The expensive, flat-screen, plasma, thirty-six inch television that had cost Mercutio's mother three thousand Euros. The screen shattered, and the entire TV cracked in two. It fell down from where it was mounted on the wall, and hit the floor with a smash.

Benvolio stared speechlessly at it. Mercutio stared speechlessly at it. Hermia and Allegra shared glances. Eliseo burst into tears at the noise and tried to burrow into the crook of Hermia's shoulder and neck.

"That...that cost my mum three thousands Euros!" exclaimed Mercutio over the noise.

"Well, it was your own fault!" snapped Benvolio "You could have hit Eliseo with the ball! I was defending my son from your stupid antics!"

"Uh oh, here we go" said Allegra, grabbing her toast and hurrying into Hermia's bedroom with her and Eliseo. They shut the door as Hermia cradled him and tried to sooth him. Allegra sat down on Hermia's side of the bed to eat her toast, and Hermia walked around, rocking Eliseo, but Mercutio and Benvolio had begun to shout at each other loudly.

"I don't think I've heard them get mad at each other before" said Allegra, munching.

"Seen it a couple of times. Usually when Romeo's not around" shrugged Hermia, rocking Eliseo "They all balance each other out. Ben was just saying about how they all fitted together when we got up. Not that I hadn't noticed, of course. I hung around with them as soon as I realised that the Montagues were actually pretty awesome. My girl friends all seemed pretty dull in comparison. Oh, there there, Eliseo. It was just a smash. Daddy and Uncle Wooshy-wo are just arguing, they'll calm down in a minute, ssh, there there, my beautiful boy, ssh"

"But what are we going to do? Buy a new one?"

"I guess so" said Hermia "That one was pretty expensive. I don't think Adelaide is going to be very happy"

"At least Mercutio didn't do it. She's always telling him off for stuff like that"

"I know! I don't get how she's his mum. She's uptight, and he's just...crazy"

"She wasn't that bad when I met her" shrugged Allegra "Although, she does ask me how the hell I can put up with him when he starts singing and being funny"

"Oh, she's always been like that. She thinks there's something wrong with him, that's why"

"There's nothing wrong with him. He's Wooshy-wo"

"I know. One time, after he fell down a flight of stairs whilst playing on a spinny chair and pushing himself along with a broom, she tried to get a doctor to put him on behavioural meds. Didn't work, though. He looked awful, all pale with bags under his eyes and he got really skinny. Eventually, Romeo and Benvolio got together and switched them all for tic tacs and since then everyone's just let him be himself"

"He never told me this!" cried Allegra.

"He doesn't talk about his family and childhood much, that's why" Hermia lowered her voice "It's nothing personal against you, don't worry. I only know because it's gossip that our dearly beloved friend Gabriel Fulgencio found out from his dad after Escalus told him"

"Oh, that weirdo? Wonder how he's doing at La Scala" muttered Allegra.

"Don't know, don't care" shrugged Hermia "I should ask Rosaline sometime. Oh, God. Her and Tybalt would love to see this. The Montague trio, split in two, with one on his own in Verona and the other two arguing"

"They'll make up soon, though, won't they?"

"Sure they will! Mercutio once built a city out of books in Benvolio's mum's bookshop and Benvolio forgave him for that. Another time, he sat on Benvolio's coursework and ruined it. They'll make up, no doubt. So, um, why don't we go out for the day? I've got plenty of money that my dad sent me. We can let them clear up and explain, and we'll skedaddle"


	13. An Old Rival

Dawnstar94 - Thanks! And I love writing Eliseo and all his made-up words.

So, anyway, at the start of the story I put a warning about anti-Semitic stuff. Just to re-clarify, it is Merchant of Venice base, so there will be mean people being mean to Jews. They are not my opinions, they are Anthony's (Antonio) opinions. Part of the reason I was apprehensive about posting this story because I wasn't sure if I could handle it sensitively. And also, to reiterate the point, if anyone, at any point, feels offended, please email me and let me know, and tell me how I can make amends.

* * *

Anthony slammed the door of his car, and then went to catch the vaporetto. He leant on the railings as the boat sailed, feeling the wind ruffling through his short hair. It would have stuck up in funny directions like Benvolio's but he cut it short so it didn't. Anthony thought it was funny how his grandson had managed to inherit his exact hairline. He was looking forward to seeing the little boy. In the weeks he hadn't been around, he'd missed him. He was a little ray of sunshine.

"Well, well, well, look who it is" drawled a familiar voice. Anthony turned around "Come to torment me some more?"

"Piss off Shylock" grunted Anthony. Shylock raised his eyebrows.

"That's not a polite way to greet an old friend" he sneered sarcastically.

"Friend?" coughed Anthony. He glanced at Shylock like he was a piece of dirt on his shoe.

"I'll change that to enemy then" Shylock sniffed "So, what are you here for?"

"I'm visiting my son and my grandson, if that's all right with you. I'm not intruding on your ghetto, am I?"

"Ghetto?" spat Shylock, disgustedly.

"Yeah, that's where you and your kind all live, isn't it?"

"So, you've still got problems with people being Jewish, after all these years? You make me sick"

"The feeling is mutual" retorted Anthony.

Shylock just scowled, disgustedly, before turning away. Anthony rolled his eyes. They'd known each other for years. From high school. Anthony was a sporty jock, but also got good grades, so he was naturally top of the heap of the social ladder. Shylock also got good grades, and wasn't too bad at sport, though it had never interested him. But he unashamed and unabashedly insisted on wearing his kippah to school. And why shouldn't he? He was proud to be Jewish.

But, things have never worked like that in high school, where individuality was crushed and stomped on as soon as it reared its defiant head. Kids are silly, and immature. He'd always been a rival for Anthony, because, well, just because. That was teenage logic for you. And it was funny, because whilst they were so different, they were also similar. They both wanted careers in business, but Shylock was better with money, whereas Anthony was more charismatic. Maybe they could have been good business partners had they not been so blinded by hatred for the other. But, as Shylock's young friend Gabriel would later describe, living in hatred as volatile as the Montague and Capulet feud would make it seep deep within your character and life.

It only took Anthony and his best friend Benvolio di Machos a couple of well-planned taunts, and Shylock was bottom of the social ladder. Everyday at school he faced constant Jew jokes, on and on. Shylock befriended the misfits and outcasts instead, people like Hector Valentio, who would later go on to marry and father a child with Regina Capulet. He dabbled with alcohol and experimented with drugs, and did some bad things, whilst Anthony played the good boy and went to university with his friends.

They didn't seek each other out, as the Capulets and Montagues did back in those days, but they bumped into each other in the world of business every now and then. Anthony's businesses and investments were always legit, whereas Shylock always had a shady undertone to his work. One such day was when Regina, having married Hector, was babbling on about the imminent arrival of her baby boy. Shylock had been sitting with them, and Anthony and his pal Benvolio were sitting across the room.

Hector was Hector Capulet now. They flung a few insults across the room after Anthony and Benvolio mocked the name Regina and Hector had chosen. After all, Tybalt did have a bit of a silly ring to it. Hector lunged to his feet to defend his wife and unborn son. Benvolio unwisely and impulsively rose to his feet and continued insulting them. Hector pulled out a knife. Benvolio was dead within the next ten minutes.

Hector received life imprisonment, even though Regina had broke into the Capulet family fund to pay for a good lawyer. That left Anthony and Shylock with a dead, lasting, resent of each other. Anthony thought Shylock should have held Hector back. Shylock thought Benvolio deserved his fate and had brought it on himself.

Shylock himself married, although he was a widower now, and had a daughter, Jessica. Anthony married, and had twins, one named after his deceased friend. Anthony was also a widower now, although Shylock had heard tales of girlfriends barely older than the twins. They did not see each other during their children's childhoods. Shylock went to Venice, where he had family and support to bring his daughter up. He came back to Verona sometime later, where he opened an illegal bar and sold alcohol to underage kids. Gabriel Fulgencio was one of them.

He struck up a friendship with the lonely boy, seeing a lot of himself in him. Ridiculed by those sporty jock types and an outcast in his own home, he watched the poor little rich boy become a bitter and manipulative young man, just like Shylock himself. It was through Gabriel that Shylock learnt the names of Anthony's children and the death of his wife.

"So, Benvolio di Machos lasted a quarter of a century?" the boy used to sneer "I'll see to it that Benvolio Montague doesn't last five minutes!"

Shylock laughed when Gabriel told him he'd stolen Benvolio's girlfriend, and laughed at all the names Gabriel called him. No doubt the Montague brat was an exact clone of his father. He'd laughed when Gabriel called Benvolio 'a socially retarded bed-wetter' on the Child Swap program and laughed when Gabriel brought in gossip about Anthony to his bar. He'd been a little disappointed when Gabriel stopped coming to his bar and befriended a group of Wiccans, but it couldn't be helped. He wanted to go back to Venice, anyway.

And he did. He'd heard of a grandchild as it had been in the papers about there being a Capulet-Montague child. No doubt that kid would be an exact clone of Anthony as well.

So that brought them to the present day. Gabriel now lived and worked with Shylock, and he told him about the whole affair. Anthony was simply pissed off that his son now lived in the same city as his enemy. He couldn't be bothered with dealing with that annoying wannabe who'd always been jealous of him. He was here to see his family.


	14. The Broken Telly

Cornadopia - Thanks! I'm so pleased it works.

I'm guessing thou art Oreoskidz! - No problem! I should be working on my own schoolwork, but I keep slacking :/ I should set up a Team Anthony vs. Team Shylock poll on my page like with the Who's The Daddy? poll.

Oooh, Anthony, that wasn't nice, was it? Let's see how it goes when he discovers the broken telly. We've already met Adelaide, but here she is again.

* * *

"And you did this, Mercutio!" demanded a loud female voice.

"Well, I played a part, but I didn't smash it! It was Benvolio!"

"Pull the other one! What were you doing?"

"I threw a ball at Benvolio and he threw it back!"

"I'm sorry, Lady Vincentino, it was my fault. I did throw the ball. I didn't mean too. I was just angry at Mercutio because I was worried Eliseo would get hurt. Um, I can pay, I can replace it!"

Anthony pressed the doorbell. Benvolio threw open the door. He didn't look good. There was a speck of blood at the corner of his mouth where he had been chewing his lip. His hair was standing on end, which mean he had been pulling at his hair, as he did when he was stressed.

"What's going on?" demanded Anthony "I heard shouting all the way downstairs. Some old woman looked at me all pissy, and – Oh my God, the telly!"

He looked at the wreckage lying on the floor. Adelaide Vincentino stood over it, her heels barely brushing the mess. Mercutio sat sulkily on the sofa.

"Our idiot sons have broken it" Adelaide spoke first.

"Benvolio did it" Mercutio added quickly.

"What happened?" asked Anthony.

Both Benvolio and Mercutio burst out in conversation immediately. Adelaide rolled her eyes, and went to make coffee. Anthony didn't take a word of it in, and waited until they had finished speaking.

"So, who threw the ball at the telly in the first place?" he asked calmly.

"I did" mumbled Benvolio "Sorry"

"Ok" said Anthony.

"That's it? Ok?" demanded Adelaide.

"Where's Eliseo and the girls?" asked Anthony.

"Out" Mercutio replied.

"Oh. I was hoping for a cuddle with my grandson before we sorted this out"

"You want to play granddaddy when the three thousand euro television is lying in pieces on the floor!" shrieked Adelaide "I'm not buying another one if our sons are just going to arse around in the apartment I am paying for – Mercutio, why are you laughing?"

"You said arse" snickered Mercutio.

"Valentine and Paris would never act like this!"

"All right, all right, calm down, Adelaide" said Anthony "It's only a television. We can replace it. It was only an accident. At least none of them are hurt"

"Well, yes" said Adelaide. She pressed her knuckles to her mouth. She didn't look like her son. Her eyes were brown, not a bright green. Her brown hair was tucked behind her ears in a bun, rather than being a crazed mess of curls and frizz. She usually looked worried or harried, rather than happy and carefree. She'd never known how to handle Mercutio, and was often horrified at his antics. Seriously – running through the Burry Estate in a mankini? There had to be something wrong with him.

Anthony led her to a seat, and then turned to the boys, who looked sheepishly at him.

"That was a stupid thing to do. Mercutio, you know better than to play with balls in the house"

"Play with balls!" Mercutio giggled, and elbowed Benvolio. Benvolio allowed himself a small smile before composing himself. Anthony ignored Mercutio, and went on.

"Especially when you have Eliseo in the house. It's not a safe thing to do. You promised you'd look after the baby, didn't you? When we looked into buying the apartment for you lot, you promised to behave yourself and look after him. Remember?"

"Yes, Anthony" said Mercutio.

"Ok. So, what are we going to do about the telly?"

"I'm not replacing it" said Adelaide ferociously "I have enough to do. And your son broke it. He should take responsibility"

"Sorry" mumbled Benvolio, blushing. The door knocked, so Anthony opened it to greet Lord Capulet. Lord Capulet took one look at the broken telly and shook his head. They told him the story and he looked like he wanted to smash his own head against a wall.

"Surely if Mercutio threw the ball in the first place, surely he should be held accountable as well?"

"No!" insisted Adelaide "I'm not paying for it"

"He threw the ball in the first place, and endangered my grandson" Lord Capulet snapped.

"No, leave it, Egues" sighed Anthony "I'll pay it"

"Are you sure? Look, this isn't fair. I'll go halves with you. We'll pay back Lady Vincentino and buy the kids a new one"

"No, no, I'll pay it" Anthony insisted "Hermia didn't have anything to do with this. I know it wasn't Benvolio's fault entirely, but I will pay it. Three thousand Euros is a lot of money, and it's not fair to Adelaide. I'll pay it"

"You've paid so much, though, Anthony. It's costly, trying to pay for a baby's upkeep, and you have to pay Benvolio's university fees as well. Those are so pricey these days. I know you don't have as much money at your fingertips as your brother. Let me help you out"

Anthony flushed. True, he was finding it hard to pay for everything, but he didn't like to accept handouts.

"It's fine, Egues. Benvolio's my son, and I'll take responsibility for him. But look, if it makes you feel better, if I have any difficulty, you'll be the first person I turn too"


	15. We Meet At Last

Cornadopia - Woo, you actually like Anthony? I thought everyone would hate him. And, uh, I've written a scene in which Allegra declares her love for Mercutio and his sense of humour to his mum. Does that count as pwning?

Sorry for the wait. Life's caught up with me. Today, I attended a university fair to look for universities where I could study (what else?) Creative Writing and English Literature. And the days before I had to hand in a huge project that I really needed a high mark in. But anyway, you guys must be sick of hearing about me bang on about my student experience, let's hear from some lovely students in Venice!

* * *

Meanwhile, Hermia, Allegra and Eliseo had had a good morning. Hermia took the buggy with her instead of the baby carrier so they could hang shopping from it. After seeing a flock of pigeons, they'd run straight into them, buggy and everything. Eliseo crowed with delight, watching them scatter. Then they'd looked into all the little street shops to buy goodies. They used Benvolio's credit card, given to him by Anthony, to buy a hot drink from Starbucks and croissants from a local stall.

"I hope they've finished arguing" said Allegra, as they sat outside a little cafe, eating lunch.

"Me too" added Hermia "I think the old folks are there now. I bet they're both getting a right bollocking!"

"Ah, poor Wooshy-wo and Bennykins" they cooed, before collapsing into giggles.

"They'll laugh about this later. One of the adults will replace it. They seem to be ok with forking out for everything" Hermia dismissed.

"Replace what?" sneered a voice.

"Hi Tibby" said the girls.

Tybalt slumped down next to them "So, we meet at last"

"Is that your attempt at being dramatic?" asked Allegra.

"No, it's my attempt at being sexy" retorted Tybalt.

"Yeah, and we both know that's never worked" snorted Allegra. Tybalt glared at her.

"Rosaline thinks I'm sexy!"

"Apart from that great ugly scar on your belly!" Hermia added, this time a little louder, so that some other people turned around and laughed at Tybalt.

"It looks like a C-Section scar" added Allegra "Hey, did you get pregnant like on the Sims 2? What happened to the green kid? Give it up for adoption?"

"What?" scowled Tybalt, evidently confused. Hermia and Allegra just laughed at his confusion.

"If you haven't played Sims 2, you have not lived" stated Allegra.

"Whatever! Shut up, Allegra. I came here to be nice to you, and ask you what needed replacing. If it was something that needed fixing, I was going to offer to do it, but it seems like I won't bother" snapped Tybalt.

"No, I don't think you'll be able to fix the telly after what Mercutio and Benvolio did to it" giggled Hermia.

"What happened?" groaned Tybalt. Hermia just laughed some more, and then Rosaline joined them.

"Hermia, Allegra" she greeted "Nice to see you"

"Hi Rosaline" said Hermia "What are you two doing out here?"

"Lunch break" answered Rosaline "We're meant to be meeting Gabriel as well, apparently. He's in Venice for some reason. I don't know why, I mean, he should be working at La Scala. If you want to leave before he turns up, then now's your chance"

"We were here first. If he wants to turn up, he can turn up. We're not moving" said Hermia firmly, crossing her arms. Rosaline down next to Tybalt, and pecked him on the cheek. Tybalt turned to Allegra.

"She thinks I'm sexy" he mouthed.

"What was that, Tibby?" asked Rosaline, tidying his collar and tie.

"He said you think he's sexy" replied Allegra.

"Apart from that scar" Rosaline wrinkled her nose "You've been using the cream, haven't you?"

"Yes" sighed Tybalt, although he was growing red. He himself was not looking forward to seeing Gabriel. It was partly Gabriel's fault he had this scar. He felt it prickle self-consciously under his shirt. At least it didn't hurt anymore.

"When's he going to be here?" asked Hermia.

"Now" said Rosaline, waving to her half-brother across the plaza. Gabriel elegantly loped along and sat down. He looked questioningly at Hermia and Allegra, but then turned to greet his half-sister and brother-in-law. Tybalt stared at him for a while, but then busied himself with his food.

"So, why are you in Venice, Gabriel?" asked Rosaline. Gabriel held it together for a moment, and then burst into tears. Hermia and Allegra shared glances with Tybalt, and even Eliseo looked perplexed.

"I've been thrown out La Scala for something I didn't do!" sobbed the boy.

"Boohoo" muttered Hermia to Tybalt and Allegra, who both tittered.

"Oh, Gabriel! That's awful. Who was it? Can't you change their minds?" asked Rosaline.

"No, I shouted at the director. I tried to tell him my side of the story, but then he started saying mean stuff so I screamed at him and he threw me out. I can't go back, I simply can't!"

"So, I guess you came to ask us if you could stay with us so that Angelo didn't find out and get mad at you" interrupted Tybalt "But, before you get your hopes up, the answer, is no. We're staying at my pal Simon's place, and he doesn't like you. And anyway, what is that in your ear?" asked Tybalt, pointing. Gabriel suddenly beamed.

"I got my ears pierced"

"You what?"

"You heard me. I got my ears pierced" Gabriel gloated "Angelo's not here, and they wouldn't let me do it at La Scala, so I got them pierced. I got my belly done as well. Want to see?"

"No" said Tybalt "I want to be able to finish my lunch"

Gabriel sniffed "You can talk"

Tybalt blushed red "Shut up" he croaked.

"Look, he's all red!" teased Hermia "Here, let me toast my sandwich on your face"

"Get off me!" snapped Tybalt. Hermia stuffed her sandwich in her mouth.

"So why are you in Venice, then, you three?" asked Gabriel, turning to the girls and Eliseo.

"We moved here" replied Hermia.

"Why?" asked Gabriel.

"Because Benvolio and Mercutio come to university here now. They're both quite clever, you see. They actually passed their A Levels" Allegra replied.

Gabriel pouted "I didn't want to take them in the first place"

"That's enough of that" said Rosaline quickly. She turned to the other two girls "How's the apartment?"

"Oh, good, besides the fact Benvolio smashed the TV this morning" replied Hermia.

"_Benvolio_ smashed the TV?" asked Tybalt, perplexed.

"Yeah, Mercutio was chucking a ball about. I was in the kitchen, watching him. Benvolio came out of his room to tell him off, and then Mercutio threw it at him. It nearly hit Eliseo, so Benvolio threw it back, missed, and hit the three thousand euro television" explained Allegra.

"It smashed to pieces on the floor!" chortled Hermia "We left so that Anthony and dad and Mercutio's mum could tell them off!"

"Silly boys" scolded Rosaline "At least we've managed to keep Simon's house in one piece"

"No broken planks on the bed?" asked Allegra.

"That's none of your business!" snapped Rosaline.

Tybalt turned back to Allegra and Hermia "So what's happening to the TV?"

"Well, obviously, we're getting a new one" said Hermia.

"Lucky. I have to watch Gossip Boy on my laptop because my apartment is too small for a television" said Gabriel.

"Who's going to pay for the TV?" asked Rosaline.

"I suppose Anthony will, since Benvolio broke it" shrugged Hermia "That's going to suck for him, especially as he just coughed up for my ring and he's got to cough up for Benvolio's university fees. Wonder how much a new one will cost, anyway. I liked the old one. It was such good quality! We all watched films on it and stuff. It was fun"

"And that TV cost three thousand Euros? Damn, that's careless!" gasped Gabriel.

"What do you care?" scoffed Hermia "Well, we should be getting off. I want to see my dad and no doubt he and Anthony will want to see Eliseo"

"And we ought to be getting back to work" Rosaline glanced at her silver watch "We want good references by the end of this summer. We might pop in and see Uncle Egues later"

"Yeah, let's go" said Tybalt, finishing a final mouthful "Bye losers. Have fun with Gabriel"

"No chance" Hermia shook her head as they left and paid their bill "Bye Gabriel. Have fun having no friends, as usual"

"Bich" added Eliseo.


	16. The Phoney Friend

iluvshinjimina - I imagine Tybalt was being sarcastic.

Cornadopia - Yeah, bog off Tybalt! Hermia and co. should invite Tybalt and Rosaline out to a public place and then start acting like children to embarress them.

Oreoskidz - I prefered Sims 2, funnily enough! Gabriel: 0 - Eliseo: 1

Sorry again for the wait, I had to attend some biology revision classes after school. God, I hate AS exams! Unfortunately, A2 isn't much better. This chapter draws on some stuff that I established in the last chapter of WL? Still not as keen on it as I am with the other two stories, but slowly starting to accept it more.

* * *

Gabriel arrived back at Shylock's place to witness the man rigidly scrubbing away at the bar. He looked angry, his dark eyebrows bent in a V over his eyes. He glanced up, saw who it was, and his face softened a little.

"Hey, Gabriel" he greeted. Gabriel smirked, sliding into a bar stool in front of him "You look cheerful"

"You certainly don't" stated Gabriel.

"Thanks"

"My pleasure" replied Gabriel "What's beating you up so much?"

Shylock sighed, and threw his towel on the bar "Anthony Montague's turned up in Venice"

"I know" said Gabriel, starting to gloat "I just went to see my sister, and then that bitch Hermia and her cousin Allegra turned up. Not what I was expecting, or wanting, either. But, apparently, Benvolio has smashed their three thousand Euros television and his dad Anthony has to pay back Adelaide Vincentino, who bought it, so that they can buy a new one. There's been a lot of shouting, I hear, and Anthony has to pay out three thousand Euros after paying for Hermia's engagement ring, which is really tacky by the way, and Benvolio's university fees. So, I say, ha!"

Shylock tittered and shook his head. Gabriel went on.

"Let's have a drink. I'm sure we have enough to spare. What did Anthony say to you?"

"Oh, the usual. Something about me living in a ghetto with my kind"

"That's disgusting" spat Gabriel.

"I know. I felt so angry I felt sick" said Shylock, rustling up a cocktail for Gabriel and then one for himself.

"Where did you see him?"

"On the vaporetto"

"I'd have pushed him off!"

"I wish I had. I'd love to teach that prick a lesson. He used to spit at me, insult my family, insult my faith, urgh! He makes me so mad" ranted Shylock. Gabriel nodded sympathetically, accepting his drink.

"And, school life hasn't changed either. It was exactly the same when I was there. Except I just got my own back" smirked Gabriel, thinking about how much David had enjoyed being beaten up by Tybalt Capulet.

"Should've taken a leaf out of your book" muttered Shylock.

"I wasn't even a gleam in Angelo's eye back then" dismissed Gabriel "You were in the same year as him, weren't you?"

"Yeah, he was one of the prefects" replied Shylock "He pretended to start up this mentoring programme to stop bullying, but it was just a pet project so he could go to a good university"

"Typical" snorted Gabriel "What was everybody like when you were students? I kind of feel bad that I'm not going to university, I mean, Angelo always talks about how it was the best time of his life. Well, his suicide pact with his forbidden boyfriend not withstanding"

"I went to a different university to Angelo and Anthony" replied Shylock "But I know what we were all like back in school. I hung out with some of the weirdest, but coolest, people. It didn't matter that we weren't the popular crowd, the 'good' guys who went down the right path, we had an awesome time together. Anthony was one of those so-called good boys. Smart, charismatic, sporty, you know. Got the right grades, dated the right girls, did the right things. As for your dad, well, Angelo was also charismatic, but he was more interested in politics than business. He was too busy being a prefect and being on the school council to be a jock boy. But he was too charismatic and good looking to be a nerd. And God, did he like the girls"

"And the boys" added Gabriel "That's why I think he's a hypocrite. He calls me gay for dancing, when he's a closet case!"

"He's probably jealous of you, Gabriel. You're brave and open to being yourself. I wish more boys were like you"

"I wouldn't. We'd kill each other!"

"No, not like that! Just...you don't care that I'm a different religion to you, you still think of me as a person"

"But why shouldn't I? We're all human beings on this planet. And it's not just religion, it's other things"

"I know, I know" sighed Shylock, staring off into space. Suddenly, he jerked back into life, glanced at the clock and got on with his task "We could go on about this all day. I better hurry up, it's Shabbat tonight. I have a couple of hours to get set up before Lancelot takes over for the night, and then I'm out of here. I still haven't bought half the ingredients for dinner yet"

"Oh yeah, of course! Is it fun?"

Shylock rolled his eyes "Was that serious or sarcastic?"

Gabriel shook his head "No. Just trying to be friendly"

"Well, I like spending quiet time with the family and having the chance to be grateful that they're there. I don't plan on going back to Verona anytime soon, and so I'm trying to catch up with them all"

"Your family is huge. It was always just me and Angelo, although Rosaline joined us a few years back"

"Well, in my community, having a big family is important to us"

"Kind of like the Capulets and Montagues, then" Gabriel nodded "I actually have an uncle, living here in Venice. And an aunt and a cousin. Like said, my sister is here with her husband, but since I accidently shot him, they're not that big on me right now"

Shylock took no heed to Gabriel's comment about possessing and shooting a gun, but simply remarked "I didn't know you had an uncle"

"Yeah, I do. Uncle Iago. He's married, so I have my Aunty Emilia and I also have a cousin, Roderigo. He's an idiot, though. He's so dumb, I doubt he can even spell his own name right. My Uncle Iago is in the army, and he made Roderigo join it too even though Roderigo wanted to be a fashion designer. I always swore I'd never let Angelo mould me like that. But funnily enough, I always got on with my Uncle Iago. Angelo says it's because I'm too like him for my own good"

"Why don't you go and see them? Have dinner or something. I'll give you a night off, although not tonight since I need you to help Lancelot on the bar"

"I should. We get on really well. He taught me the 'Phoney Friend' technique, like when you pretend to be friends with someone to get private information and then use it against them. You should do that to Anthony. It would be so funny!" cackled Gabriel.

"Yeah, like I could find out about why he got a new girlfriend a couple of months after his wife's death" said Shylock.

"That is just wrong" stated Gabriel.

"I haven't had a relationship since Leah died" Shylock raised his eyebrows, and started to reorganise the tumblers behind the counter. He shook his head "Don't listen to me. You're a young man. You go out with girls. Don't think about death. And don't try going crazy with a gun again"

"I did not! He had it coming. I hope he's rotting in prison" snarled Gabriel.

"Have you spoken to Amparo lately?" asked Shylock, changing the topic.

"Yes, on the night I first arrived. She texts me daily, although the signal in my room is kind of lousy. We were going to come here for Christmas, you see, and she was going to come and see me dance on opening night of the new season at La Scala..." Gabriel broke off tearfully.

Shylock patted his hand comfortingly "Perhaps she could come and see you dance here"

"No. It's a bit young for her. I don't know if she'd like it, although she said doesn't mind where I go on my own" Gabriel swung down from the stool, having finished his drink "What time are you heading off? And are you going to do anything about Anthony?"

"I'm heading off in half an hour, actually. I want to grab a shower before dinner. As for Anthony, well, I suppose he'll have to wait. With a bit of luck, he'll be gone by tomorrow and I won't have to look at his ugly mug for a while"

Gabriel sniggered "Let me know if you need me"


	17. Sort It Out

No reviews? I'm all sad and dejected now!

Well, anyway, after spending my weekend studying biology, I have an update. We get to find out what Mercutio got up to when he was a baby!

* * *

"I'm sorry, dad" said Benvolio, as they sat on the steps above the water.

"Don't worry about it, Benvolio, it wasn't your fault" dismissed Anthony "It was just waiting to happen. I mean, you're living in a house with Mercutio. Something was bound to happen, I mean, remember what happened to the Capulet Manor when you guys stayed there. He broke a bed and kicked a dent in the door. I just didn't expect it to be so soon, and to be the three thousand euro TV! I don't know where I'll get the money from, it's such a lot..."

"What do you mean?" Benvolio frowned slightly.

"Well, I'm in a bit of debt, Benvolio. I went overdraft on some things and I've been trying to pay it back. Everything's gotten so much more expensive, as I've been paying for Eliseo for eight months now, and paying to get your house set up, and I've got your university fees to pay as well. But it's ok, I'm keeping up"

"But, but, how are you going to pay for the telly if everything else is being paid for? And Hermia's started to look at dresses and I've seen a few venues that I like, and they don't come cheap either"

"Well..." Anthony trailed off, trying to think, but Benvolio spoke first.

"I'll ask Egues if he could pay for all of Eliseo's stuff, instead of half and half. He said he would do that in the first place, before you offered. And then you could ask Uncle Claudio for some help paying everything else off. That should lighten the load, shouldn't it? I'll get a job again and use that money for my share of the food bills. And perhaps we'll get a cheaper telly, one that's more hard-wearing. No, that wouldn't work, as we'd still have to pay the rest back to Adelaide. But the rest could work. Wouldn't it, dad?"

"No, Benvolio. I'm not accepting handouts" Anthony glared at his son.

"They're not handouts if it's family!" protested Benvolio "I'd help Romeo out if he was in financial trouble"

"I'm not in financial trouble, I've just fallen behind. But it will be all right. I'll take out a loan for the television, and I can slowly pay that back at the same time as paying for your fees and bills. It can't be hard, can it? We'll just go without a holiday this year and I'll stop buying such expensive brand stuff. It's the little things that count"

"But where will you get a loan from?" asked Benvolio.

"Anywhere! You know, around, you can get loans anywhere. Don't worry about it, Benvolio, I'll give you the money"

"I still think you should ask Uncle Claudio" insisted Benvolio.

"And I don't accept handouts. I don't need charity" dismissed Anthony.

"But Uncle Claudio won't charge interest or anything like that. He won't mind if you don't pay it back right away. And it's your inheritance too!"

"Benvolio, pack it in!"

Benvolio leant back a little, alarmed "Sorry. It's just...I'm worried about you. Whilst we've been here, we've been spending like there's no tomorrow. What if you get repossessed?"

"I won't get repossessed, you idiot" Anthony rolled his eyes "I will be fine. Just you carry on as normal, and I'll take care of everything. I'm a grown man, I know what I'm doing"

"Well, so am I" murmured Benvolio to himself. He'd had his eighteenth birthday a few days ago, his first without Beatrix present. He looked over at the river. The sun was just beginning its descent down from the highest point of the sky, and so the water dappled a blend of orange, gold and pink. A gondola, bearing the gondolier and a man, about Anthony's age, sailed past.

Anthony caught the eye of Shylock, and Shylock scowled. It was quieter at this point of the afternoon, and so Shylock had probably heard most of Benvolio and Anthony's conversation.

"Good evening" nodded Benvolio politely, wondering why the man stared so. He did not reply, but turned his head away from them both. He quickly turned back to Anthony "Who was that, dad? And why was he staring at us?"

"No one, son, it was no one" replied Anthony. Hermia wandered out of the front of the apartment block and called them for dinner a few moments later.

But the truth was, Anthony was starting to get worried. He'd wasted money on so many useless things, he was embarrassed. As soon as the new ipad came out, he'd just had to have it. And he always bought premium membership at the gym, when he only used it once a week rather than everyday.

He tried to push away his worries as he sat down to dinner. Eventually, everyone had pulled themselves together and picked up the broken telly and chucked it out. One of them had managed to cook something edible, and they gathered around the table. Adelaide still had two lines across her forehead as Mercutio swung back on his chair legs singing a song to Allegra.

Adelaide turned to Allegra "How do you put up with him?" she sighed.

"I think he's funny" replied Allegra "You know, you've gotta love a guy that makes you laugh!"

Mercutio stopped swinging, and sat up straight, grinning like an idiot.

"When do classes start, boys?" asked Lord Capulet.

"Sometime late September" replied Benvolio.

"Are you nervous?"

"Nope" Mercutio sang "I'm going to show Ca' Foscari what a sexy beast I am"

"Mercutio, what is your obsession with sexy beasts? It's annoying" scolded Adelaide.

"It's hilarious!" protested Allegra "Especially when you were wearing that pink feather boa and dancing to 'Sexy And I Know It' Or when you threatened to do a lap dance on Tybalt. Now that was funny"

Anthony poked at his food. Eliseo sat up in his high chair. He had just begun to learn how to pick things up, and put them in his mouth. Hermia had given him a baby rusk, as he was teething, and he was slobbering away at it. There was even some of it in his hair. Hermia had also left a toy on his table, and that was covered in the muck. Eliseo picked up the toy, looked around the table, and then dropped it on the floor. Anthony picked it up for him.

"There you go, sweetie. Be careful"

Eliseo picked it up, looked at Anthony, and dropped it on the floor again.

"Don't drop it, silly boy" cooed Anthony, putting it back. Eliseo dropped it on the floor for the third time.

"Just ignore him when he does that. He just likes watching people pick stuff up again and again. It drives me nuts" complained Hermia.

"You should have seen what Mercutio used to get up too when he was Eliseo's age. He was crawling, walking and talking long before the age Valentine did. He used to go through all my make-up, and put powder on his hair and nail varnish on the walls. You, Mercutio, were the most hectic child I'd ever met. Thank goodness for all those nanny's!" exclaimed Adelaide.

"I wore them out, week by week" grinned Mercutio.

Adelaide glared at him "I knew I shouldn't have let the doctors use forceps to get you out. I knew there'd end up being something wrong with you!"

"All I had was a pointy head! There's nothing wrong with that! And it went back to normal a week later"

"Of course you're normal, Mercutio" said Benvolio sarcastically.

"Yeah, really" Hermia nodded along with him "But we love you"

"Yes, we do. Especially me" said Allegra firmly.

Then, to the tune of, 'There's No One Quite Like Grandma,' Hermia and her housemates began to sing "Wooshy-wo, we love you. Wooshy-wo, we do!"

Mercutio laughed and clapped along. Adelaide tried to glance at the other adults, but they were both chuckling. Lord Capulet had shaken his head and rested his palm on his forehead, but his shoulders were moving. Eliseo laughed delightedly "Oogak!"

"What's an oogak, Eliseo?" asked Hermia, plucking a piece of baby rusk out of his hair.

"Oooogak!"

"Say mama" instructed Hermia.

"Unglaga"

"I remember your first words well, Benvolio" said Anthony "You said mummy, while Beatrix said daddy"

"My first word was no" added Mercutio.

"Why does this not surprise me?" asked Lord Capulet, sitting back up.

Allegra giggled "I can just picture it. 'Mercutio, put your toys away' 'No!' 'Mercutio, it's bath time' 'No!' 'Mercutio, it's bedtime' 'No!'"

"You got that right" remarked Adelaide.

"My first word was 'Ooliet!'" said Hermia, wiping rusk off Eliseo's face with a baby wipe "I couldn't pronounce the J part, so she got called Ooliet most the time"

"That's cute!" giggled Allegra "Too bad I was born once you learnt to say it properly"

Anthony smiled around at his family. In spite of the broken telly, they seemed happy. Eliseo was getting big, and starting to learn words. He was amazed at how he could now pull himself up against objects, crawl and pick things up. Maybe Benvolio hadn't been irrational when he tried to drill locks on all the cupboard doors. Anthony missed having them around the house, and he wanted them to be happy here. Benvolio was a good dad and Hermia was a good match for him. He had to sort out the money to take care of them, and so sort it out he would.


	18. Anthony's Dumb Idea

Dawnstar94 - Welcome back! And you said it exactly. Religious and non-religious people are all nice people, and we can all get along, it's just a small number of people who let themselves and their community down. Like Anthony...

Oreoskidz - My first word was no too! I love writing Eliseo, I have a cute scene of Benvolio playing with him coming soon.

Ouch. Anthony needs to borrow money. As you can see, he's not exactly bright. He wants to borrow money from someone he used to discriminate against in high school. Also, I hope this chapter doesn't press too many buttons, what with Anthony being bigoted and Gabriel screaming at him and stuff.

* * *

After staying the night at a hotel, Anthony woke up and dressed. Lord Capulet and Adelaide had driven home that night, yet Anthony had someone he needed to see. When he had finished preparing himself, he headed to his destination. He caught a gondola and chatted with the gondolier on his way. The gondolier spoke about some irritating students with a baby who had danced in the gondola and splashed each other, including the poor baby. Anthony raised an eyebrow. It was a good job his son and housemates knew better than that, in spite of the drama with the telly.

He climbed out, and looked around. This part of town looked a lot more seedy. A sulky boy dressed in jewel studded leggings and leather jacket regarded him. He reminded Anthony strongly of Gabriel, although Gabriel's hair was platinum blond, not bright pinky red. Anthony wandered through the winding pathways, until he stopped outside Shylock's nightclub.

Of course, Anthony knew where Shylock lived and worked. He'd Facebook-stalked him the night before on his ipad. And Anthony was friends with Angelo Fulgencio on there, so he could see all of Gabriel's pictures as Gabriel's wall was open to friends of friends. Some of the pictures were taken in this place and Anthony recognised it immediately. The doors said 'Closed' but he knew otherwise.

He banged on the door.

"We're closed!" shrieked a high-pitched voice.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but it's urgent"

"I'm a sir!" the voice shrieked.

"Sorry, sir. Now, could I come in?"

"I said we're closed!"

"I need to speak to Shylock! It's about business!" Anthony yelled.

The door opened.

"Oh, it's you" said Gabriel with disdain, looking at him.

"Urgh, it's you" retorted Anthony "What are you wearing?"

"My uniform, what did you think?" Gabriel suspiciously closed the door a little more, to hide the fact that he was wearing very tight black shorts.

"Hey, let me in!" protested Anthony.

"No chance" scoffed Gabriel "Shylock's not in"

"Of course he is! He works here, doesn't he?"

"Yes, but he's not here" said Gabriel "So go home to Tin Grin and Emilio, or whatever that thing's name is"

"It's Eliseo" snapped Anthony "And 'it' is a he"

"So go back home to him"

"I can't. I want to talk to Shylock. Get out the way, and let me speak to him"

"And I said, he's not in!" shrieked Gabriel, his voice growing higher and higher so that Anthony wanted to wince and clasp his hands over his ears. God, he used to think Rosaline was bad, but her brother? He was even worse!

"Where is he, then?" yelled Anthony.

"Oh my God, are you stupid or what? I'm an ex Catholic ex atheist non-practising Wiccan and I failed my Religious Education exam two years ago, yet even I know what Jews do on Friday nights and Saturday mornings!"

"Well, what do they do?"

"Celebrate Shabbat!" Gabriel screeched.

"And what's that?"

Gabriel rolled his eyes "It's the Jewish holy day of the week, like Sunday is for Christians. They go home, have dinner, and don't do any work. He's not here, you can't talk to him, and I can't even give you a contact number because it would be rude to disturb him!"

"Well, why didn't you say?" grumbled Anthony, starting to understand why this boy pressed all the berserk buttons on his otherwise shy and peaceful son.

"Because," said Gabriel, with relish "I don't like you"

"Gabriel, who is that? And why's there loads of shouting?"

"It's nothing, Launcelot! It's not the police, you don't need to call Shylock or anything"

"Launcelot?" Anthony frowned "I hired someone called Launcelot to work for me a few weeks ago"

Launcelot bounced into view "Yeah, I'm moving to Verona because I got a place at university there, hence the new job to pay my way while I'm there. How are you doing, Mr. Montague?"

"Fine. I'm just looking for Shylock. Only this little freak-"

"How DARE you!" Gabriel screamed his trademark catchphrase.

"All right, calm down!" Launcelot instructed "Gabriel, go and finish scrubbing the tables down and then start sorting out who's performing tonight and tomorrow-"

"I am" said Gabriel proudly.

"Well, practise your lines and learn your dance. How can I help you, Mr. Montague?"

"It's Anthony" said Anthony gratefully, finally pleased to see the back of Gabriel "I'm looking for Shylock. I believe he works here, right?"

"Yes, he's our boss. And our landlord" explained Launcelot "Is it urgent? Because I can call him, even though he's at home right now"

"Well, it is important, and yes, could you call him if he decides that like the rest of us, there's no such thing as a day of rest"

"That's offensive" snarled Gabriel, wiping down the bar "It's a tradition, that goes back thousands of years, means a lot to him, and-"

"Ok, ok, calm down everyone" commanded Launcelot "Even if he's not here now, he'll be here tonight. If you like, you can come back then. If not, I can take a message. If it's important, then I'm sure he wouldn't mind coming to sort it out, even if today is an important day, especially if it's as important as it seems to be"

"Forget it" Anthony rolled his eyes "I'll come back later. And with a bit of luck, Billy Elliot over there won't be around"

"I'm not Billy Elliot!"


	19. Mercutio's Room

Dawnstar94 - Sorry, I should have been a bit clearer. Gabriel believes in Wicca, he just doesn't cast spells anymore or worship much. The Lady Gaga song 'Bad Kids' makes me think of him, funnily enough. And that's how I try to be as well, my cousin is also Wiccan, one of my friends wants to be a vicar, but my Buddhist friend is a nice boy!

Well, Anthony's falling into a trap. Back at the apartment, I think Benvolio and Mercutio ought to patch things up. And check out Mercutio's room - I had fun describing it.

* * *

Benvolio respectfully knocked on Mercutio's bedroom door and waited for his friend to call 'Come in!' before pushing open the door. Mercutio was lying on his bed, sketching a picture in a notebook.

"Hermia said I ought to apologize to you about the TV thing" said Benvolio, settling down beside him on the bed. He glanced around. Mercutio had well and truly settled in. His room in the apartment was smaller than the one he had lived in when he still lived at home, but Benvolio liked it anyway. It was just so...Mercutio.

The room itself was organized chaos. Mercutio had stuff everywhere, although, thankfully, the ceiling and walls were white. Contrary to what Benvolio predicted, he hadn't painted them neon pink or neon green. But Mercutio had covered the walls in posters of his favourite bands, several canvas he had painted himself and a notice board full of photographs of his friends, his travels, a picture of his dog, pictures from his childhood, especially ones of him, Romeo and Benvolio together. There were mats from Brazil lying on the otherwise bare wooden floor, squashy cushions spread out on the bed, and instead of a duvet, on his bed was a gorgeous purple and gold velvet bedspread he had brought back from India. His red curtains that were studded with gold sequins had also been purchased in India, and there was a multicoloured silk hanging with Indian elephants on above his bed. Next to Mercutio, on his bed, were his cuddly toys. Yes, Mercutio still liked cuddly toys. His two favourites were a white Siberian tiger and a llama.

On his bedside table were books, a bonsai tree and candles, and on his window sill were models of the pyramids from Egypt, a carved wooden elephant from India, a lava lamp, trinket pots, several pencils, paintbrushes and paint pots. His ukulele rested against that wall inside a funky bright blue case. A pair of Mercutio sized velvet slippers and Allegra sized velvet slippers were tucked between his bed and his bedside table, and a patchwork silk dressing gown hung on a hook off the back of his door. Even on top of his wardrobe was not clear. Mercutio had even more cuddly toys looming down at him and boxes full of...stuff. The wardrobe door hung open slightly, showing off some of Mercutio's brightly coloured jaunty clothes. In fact, not even the ceiling was clear. The light had a Chinese lantern slung over it, there were glow in the dark stars stuck on it and there was a bizarre 'flying cow' thing that Mercutio had probably bought at a street market since arriving in Venice.

Some of Allegra's stuff was scattered around the room too. There was a hair brush, some books, and a deodorant on another bedside table. A green silk scarf Mercutio had given her was slung over dressing gown hanging from the back of Mercutio's door and her phone lay charging by a plug.

Mercutio raised an eyebrow "Really?"

"Yes. And she says you ought to apologize back" added Benvolio "It was a dumb thing to do. My dad has to pay out three thousand Euros, which, believe me, is a lot. It's not fair on him, especially as it was unnecessary. That money could have gone something much more worthwhile, such as Eliseo's college fund"

"I didn't know that an eight month old child could tell its parents it wants to go to university"

"Well, in case he wants to go travelling, or something. And anyway, speaking of Eliseo, you could have hurt him. That's what made me the maddest. I want him to grow up in a safe, happy environment, especially since what happened during when Hermia was pregnant with him and when he was being born. You chucking balls at him is not part of the plan"

"I aimed it at you, not Eliseo!"

"Yes, but you missed! And on our second day here, you soaked him in a gondola. My poor baby doesn't even know what's hit him, pardon the pun"

"Eliseo loves me. I'm his Uncle Wooshy-wo!" glared Mercutio.

"Of course he loves you. You're his godfather. And I know you love him too. So, please, for Eliseo's sake, stop being so stupid all the time. I'll never forgive myself, or rather, you, if anything happens to him. So, look, I'm sorry for throwing the ball back at you and breaking the telly"

"I'm sorry for being stupid and throwing the ball around in the first place" replied Mercutio "Will replacing the TV really cost three thousand Euros? Can't we claim insurance on it?"

"No, because I broke it" sighed Benvolio.

"That sucks"

"Yep"

"Hey, want to see this picture I'm drawing? It's my bonsai tree"

"It's really good, Mercutio"

"And look, here's some more sketches. That's Allegra. Doesn't she look pretty?"

"She looks so realistic" marvelled Benvolio.

"And look, there's Eliseo and Hermy-wa! Isn't he cute? There's Romeo, oh, and there's Tybalt being shoved under a train, Rosaline being told that the colour red is out of fashion, Gabriel waking up and realising someone's cut all his hair off -"

"Mercutio!"

"What?"

"Anyone would think you were disturbed!"

"Teehee" replied Mercutio "I even drew you in a dress"

"Of course I'm not worried about at all, or anything" Benvolio lay down on his back to stare at the ceiling. He suddenly felt the need to voice a worry that had been nagging at the back of his mind "Do you think Romeo's doing ok?"

"He has Juliet to keep him company" replied Mercutio.

"Would you say the same if he got into Ca' Foscari and I didn't?"

"To be honest, Ben," Mercutio said slowly "Don't hate on me because he's your cousin, but I'm glad it's you who got into Ca' Foscari and not him"

"Really?" Benvolio sat up to look at his friend a little.

"Yeah" Mercutio sifted uncomfortably.

"I always thought you two were the closest"

"Well, maybe when we were kids" said Mercutio "I'll always be fond of him, us three will always have that bond, but as soon as he got into bloody girls, I've felt closer to you"

"Really? When we were growing up, it always felt like you two were bouncing ahead of me, messing around and having loads of fun, whilst I tried to keep up"

"Don't be silly. It's just that me and Romeo had similar senses of humour, whereas you are just a prude"

"I'm not a prude!"

"Yes, you are! You can't say sex or penis without blushing!"

"Mercutio, shut up! That old lady downstairs will hear"

"See? Prude"

"I'm not a prude! I had sex before either you or Romeo!" hissed Benvolio so that only Mercutio could hear.

"Oooh!" giggled Mercutio.

"Look, what were we talking about before this?" Benvolio cried desperately.

"About whether I'm closer to you or Romeo"

"Ok. So let's carry on"

"Well, I'm closer to you because you listen to me and care about me, whereas Romeo can be a whining self-centred spoiled brat. There. I said it"

Benvolio drew back "Calm down, he's not Gabriel!"

"Oh well" Mercutio shrugged "So, anyway, who do you like best. Me or Romeo?"

"Mercutio!" cried Benvolio.

"Come on, I won't tell" grinned Mercutio "You can even say Romeo if it makes you feel better. I don't care"

Benvolio knew very well that Mercutio would care - very deeply, in fact. So, he decided to be honest.

"Well, it's hard" admitted Benvolio "Romeo's family, but you're my best friend. I chose you as Eliseo's godfather over him, but as we explained to him, you're closer to Hermia as well"

"So, who do you like best?"

Benvolio sighed "You. I feel bad, though, I-"

"Don't feel bad! I'm closer to you than my brother Valentine or anyone else in my family"

"But your family are mean" protested Benvolio "They always say there's stuff wrong with you. Last night your mum was blaming the forceps they used to yank you out her...bits"

"Could be worse. They could be like Allegra's family, who call her stupid all the time, when it's pretty obvious she isn't" Mercutio replied. He signed but, then he bounced cheerfully from where he sat "Well, either way, we're together with our gals and your bubba. What more could we ask for?"

Benvolio smiled "Nothing"


	20. One Pound Of Flesh

Cornadopia - Yay, you like Mercutio's room! Allegra probably loves hanging out in there, it's just that sort of cosy place. And you know what I think? After Merc'n'All get married in Child Swap Universe, they should go on honeymoon to all those different places together.

Now, it is time for Anthony to try and get his loan! Hope you all like Shylock's nightclub as well. I'd love to go to a place like that. It was influenced by the places where Madonna used to go as she rose to fame. I know this because I am obsessed with her. Guess what song Gabriel is singing...

* * *

Later that night, Anthony made his way back to the nightclub. It was dark, the street lights blared out at him, and dance music distantly throbbed as he walked. He found himself outside Shylock's club, and stepped inside. There were no bouncers, and so he entered with no difficulty, unlike that morning when Gabriel had been there to 'greet' him.

He took a long look around. Neon lights blared from every wall, and beautiful people wearing colourful clothes danced together. There were no boundaries here. Men danced with men, women danced with women, people of all different backgrounds and ethnicities gathered and enjoyed each other's company. It was very different to Anthony's nightclub, where men and women just chatted each other up, and where they all looked the same, night in, night out. One man was shirtless but for streaks of neon paint.

He looked towards the bar. Launcelot was serving drinks, chatting to the customers. A young girl who resembled Shylock served them by his side, chatting and laughing with him.

"_Come on, take a chance, get up and start the dance, let the DJ shake you, let the music take you..."_ Anthony looked over to a stage where Gabriel, wearing glitzy party clothes, pranced around, singing proudly. He was smiling, and looked happier than Anthony had ever seen him.

Slowly, he made his way to the bar. He sat down and continued to look around. It was so different to what Anthony was used to. He couldn't get over it. People were cheering Gabriel, not booing and laughing at him as they would have done at his club.

"Anthony!" exclaimed Launcelot "How can I help you?"

"I'm looking for Shylock!" Anthony replied loudly, over Gabriel's singing.

"He'll be here in a few minutes. He just has to wait until it's totally dark, and then he can come to work"

Anthony sighed and rolled his eyes "Don't you get sick of all these petty regulations?"

Launcelot shrugged.

"We find ways around it, don't we?" interrupted another barman "We let people do their own thing. It means a lot to him, so we let him get on with it"

"But it's so annoying!" complained the girl who looked like him "He got pissy when I said I didn't believe in it that much anymore. So he makes me help out here when I want to be out on Friday and Saturday nights"

"Are you...his daughter?" asked Anthony "You look alike"

"Yeah" Jessica sighed "He gets annoyed because I want to break out on my own now. Ah well. He means well, I guess"

At that moment, Shylock waltzed in, a charismatic smile lighting up his features. The party goers greeted him, and asked how his previous evening had been. He nodded and smiled in return, before heading over to Launcelot. He stopped short at the sight of Anthony. Immediately, his grew colder. His posture stiffened, and he held his head higher.

"Anthony" he said curtly "To what do I owe the...pleasure?"

"Shylock" nodded Anthony "Could I have a word?"

"When you're ready" said Shylock.

"In...private, maybe?" winced Anthony.

"What an unusual request" remarked Shylock "Come this way"

Anthony followed him around the bar, pausing to glance back at Gabriel, who writhed around on stage delightedly. He rolled his eyes.

Shylock led him into an office behind the bar, and sat down behind the desk. He reclined back in a swivel chair and regarded him. Anthony's eyes darted around. The room was richly furbished. Shylock was evidently doing well for himself. Anthony just couldn't help but feel the need to size up and compare their possessions.

"So, how can I help you?" asked Shylock.

"I need a loan"

"A loan?"

"Yes"

"And you're asking me?"

"Obviously"

Shylock frowned "You're asking me, after all those years at high school, all that name-calling, spitting at me several times-"

"Can we just forget the past for a while?" barked Anthony "I need the money. And I need it now. And you do loans. Or so I heard"

"Yes, I do loans"

"So can I have one?" asked Anthony.

"How much?" asked Shylock.

"Three thousand Euros"

"Ouch" Shylock drummed his fingers against the table "That's going to make a lot of interest"

"Yes, I know. But I need the money, and I need it now. My son has broken a three thousand Euro television and I need to replace it"

"So I've heard"

"How?" demanded Anthony.

"I was in a gondola on my home and overheard you. Plus, my friend Gabriel heard all about whilst having lunch with his sister and brother-in-law"

"Figures you would be friends with such a freak" muttered Anthony.

"He isn't a freak. He's a talented young man who has had a tough time coping with the way other people treated him. No wonder he lashes out" Shylock folded his arms and frowned at Anthony. He could barely contain his contempt for the man. How dare he, insult Shylock on the vaporetto the previous day, and then waltz in here, demanding a loan?

Gabriel was right, Shylock should just get his own back. This man ruined his life, and he deserved to suffer. An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth. A life for a life.

"I'm guessing you must be pretty desperate if you're asking me for a loan" Shylock went on.

"Well, I'm not exactly destitute, but I don't want my friends and family to know that I'm having trouble paying for stuff. University is costly, you know! And not only am I paying for my own son, I'm paying for my grandson as well, since my idiot son couldn't pull himself together to go and buy condoms that would fit him"

Shylock snorted.

"So do I get the loan or not?" Anthony demanded.

"You know, I feel really sorry for you" retorted Shylock "So I'll give you the loan. In fact, I won't even charge interest. But on one condition"

"What's that?" Anthony asked, leaning forwards disbelievingly.

"Should you fail to pay me back within the allocated time..." Shylock mused, enjoying his dramatic moment "You shall have to pay me back with one pound of your own flesh"

"My own what?"

"Flesh" Shylock smiled patronizingly "You do know what that is, don't you, Mr. Bonehead Jock Boy?"

"Of course I know what flesh is" scoffed Anthony "What do you want that for?"

"It's my business. Here. Let me draw you up a contract, and then you can sign it"

"No way"

"Ok. Go broke, Anthony. I'll have you know that I don't give to beggars in the street"

"Fine! I'll come by tomorrow and make my mind up. You won't be dossing around at home with your buddies this time, will you? My ears are still ringing after the horrible shrieking your little blond protégé gave me"

"You mean Gabriel? Of course I'll be in. See you then"


	21. The Creditor

Dawnstar94 - Yep, it's been pretty crazy over here as well. My first exam is this coming Monday. I've been revising all week, which is why I haven't updated. The only reason I can update today is because I had no lessons this afternoon and got to come home! Good luck with graduation and I hope you'll like England!

Yeah, so sorry for the no update week. Like said, I have been busy. Updates will be sparse for a while. But by the end of May it will all be over. The good thing is, I've had more time to relax and think about endings and funny dialogue for later on.

* * *

Benvolio was playing with Eliseo in his baby jungle gym when the door rang. Hermia jumped up to get it, whilst Mercutio continued lounging in the armchair with Allegra on his lap.

"Your hair is so soft" said Mercutio, running his fingers through it.

"Yours needs a brush" replied Allegra, reaching up and ruffling it.

"There's no point. I'll just end up looking like Benvolio. Except mine's longer and I don't have such a wonky hairline"

"Oi" protested Benvolio "At least I don't have a Bieber style mullet, like Romeo is starting too"

Mercutio and Allegra sniggered, and soon Anthony followed Hermia into the room.

"Dad! I thought you'd gone home" Benvolio scrambled out of Eliseo's baby jungle gym, and stood up. Eliseo whined, annoyed his playmate had left him. Hermia bent down, and started to play with him instead.

"I'm going home today, which is where I'll get the telly sorted" replied Anthony "Can we talk in private for a bit?"

"Sure" said Benvolio. He led Anthony into his, Hermia and Eliseo's room, and shut the door. Thankfully, in spite of the fact Hermia rarely ever made the bed and picked up old clothes off the floor, Benvolio was a tidy person, and so the bed was made and there was no old clothes on the floor. Anthony sat on the bed, and Benvolio perched on the rail of Eliseo's cot.

"He's going to be too big for that cot soon" noted Anthony.

"Yes. That's why we have the other little room ready for him, with the spare bed" replied Benvolio "So what's the matter?"

"Yesterday, I went to see someone about getting a loan"

"Oh. Is it good news?"

"I think so" said Anthony.

"Will you be able to pay everything back? Will you be all right?" asked Benvolio, picking up and fiddling with Eliseo's favourite fluffy duck.

"Yes. The...uh, creditor, has agreed to lend me the entire sum of money, the three thousand Euros, without any interest"

"Well, that's brilliant. What else?"

Anthony sighed "But, for some reason, the creditor has set a condition"

"What's that?"

"That if I can't pay him back within in the allocated time, then he wants a pound of my flesh"

"Your what? Flesh? Ew!" gasped Benvolio "Who is this creditor? Is this even legal? Oh my God, dad, don't take a loan out from him!"

"Benvolio, don't be stupid. Think about it the other way. No interest. And he's given me plenty of time to pay it all back. I'll have got my profits for the months and paid off all the debts from going overdraft during that time. Just think, if he was charging me interest, how much that would amount to and how much more money I would have to earn to pay it off"

"But...one pound of _flesh_? That's so gross. And where exactly does he want the pound of flesh _from_? He could kill you depending on where he took it"

"I think it's just a joke, Benvolio" said Anthony firmly "He's just playing mind tricks with me because he knows I'm in a vulnurable position. He has Gabriel living and working with him, after all"

"Gabriel's involved?"

"Not exactly, but he did shriek a whole load of abuse at me Saturday morning. How was I supposed to know Shylock wasn't there because it was Shabbat?"

"You mean Shylock is the creditor? The crack-dealer with the illegal nightclubs?"

Anthony rolled his eyes "Yes, Shylock's the creditor"

"But you hate Shylock! You told me all about him, about how he was jealous of you back in high school and used to cause all that trouble with Hector Capulet who then killed your best friend and-"

"Benvolio, give it a rest. You're giving me a headache. I've hardly slept"

"Sorry, dad" said Benvolio meekly "Just...don't do it, ok? Uncle Claudio won't mind if you ask him for some help, you know"

"No, Benvolio. I don't do handouts. This is a legitimate loan. It's not unreasonable. No interest! And the pound of flesh thing is probably just a stupid prank to scare me. Gabriel probably is involved and probably is behind it. As if I'm frightened of some immature ballerina's scare prank!"


	22. So Gross

Dawnstar94 - You studied psychology? I'm studying it too! And thanks for saying good luck, I hope it goes ok.

Cornadopia - Hey, no problem. I'm doing fine, thanks, hope you are too. How's it going with the story about your dream?

So, it's the end of term for me and my study leave starts tomorrow, so no school until June. From now on it's revision, exams, revision, exams and more! Thought I'd update today since I had a spare minute, end of term fever and all. And the two songs sung by Gabriel in this chapter are 'At Seventeen' by Janis Ian and 'Bad Kids' by Lady Gaga. I think you can kind of see how they fit in with this chapter.

* * *

"_I learnt the truth at seventeen, that love was meant for beauty queens. And high school girls with clear skin smiles, who married young and then retired. The Valentines I never knew, the Friday night charades of youth, was spent on one more beautiful. At seventeen, I learnt the truth"_ sang Gabriel, scrubbing down the bar from last night.

Jessica hummed along, scrubbing a different part "You have a nice voice, Gabriel"

"Thank you" beamed Gabriel "Did your dad say when his 'special guest' would be here?"

Jessica snorted "Nope. I wonder if he even turns up. That was pretty funny when you screamed at him"

"Well, I hate his sort. Loud, arrogant, obnoxious, popular boy. They think they're so great because they're so loud and charismatic and they used to kick a couple of balls around in high school, and that it gives them the right to abuse and be mean to people who are smart enough to realize there is more to life. If he turns up, I'll scream at him again" Gabriel scrubbed ferociously at the bar.

Just at that moment, the door knocked. Gabriel and Jessica both burst out giggling, and Gabriel ducked behind the bar to hide. Jessica opened the door, and Anthony stepped in. Gabriel continued to giggle helplessly.

"Can I help you?"

"I'm looking for Shylock"

"He's at a Bar Mitzvah!" screamed Gabriel, leaping up. Anthony leapt into the air in shock. Jessica clutched her chest as she laughed. Shylock hurried out of his office to see the commotion.

"That wasn't funny!" yelled Anthony.

"On the contrary, I'm very amused" remarked Shylock, smiling "Have you come to sign for your loan?"

Anthony pursed his lips and swallowed "Yes"

"Very well. Come this way. And Gabriel?"

"Yes?" said Gabriel, clutching at the cloth he was using to scrub the bar.

"I was at a _Bat_ Mitzvah, get it right!"

Gabriel laughed, and went back to washing down the bar. Despite his meeting with Rosaline a few days ago, he was enjoying his time in Venice. Last night, he'd stood on stage and sang. The cheering had been wonderful. It had made him happier about anything else in the world. It had taken all his cares away, actually.

That wasn't all he had been doing. He'd modelled for some very nice photography students who'd happened to pass through and been described as 'exquisite' and 'alluring' He'd even been on the front cover of a photography magazine!

If Angelo could see him, he would freak out.

"_I'm not that, typical, baby. I'm a bad kid, like my mum and dad made me. I'm not that cool and you hate me. I'm a bad kid, that's the way that they made me"_ Gabriel sang again, but then he piped down, hoping to hear Shylock and Anthony's conversation. But he didn't, and he soon fell back into work. The tables and floor were scrubbed, and so he took to refilling the beer barrels. Anthony barged out, and Gabriel watched him beadily.

"Take care of Emilio now" he smirked.

"It's Eliseo" Anthony whirled around to face him, but then slipped on the wet floor. Gabriel gave a tinkling laugh.

"Oh, I forgot to put up the 'It's wet' sign! I am so terribly sorry. How careless of me"

Anthony staggered upright, and stomped out, his pride in tatters. Gabriel just snickered, before heading into Shylock's office.

"So, what did he want?" he asked, perching on his desk.

Shylock peered up at him over his reading glasses "He wants a loan"

"A loan?"

"Yeah. Apparently, he's got to buy the kids a new telly after Benvolio smashed it. He's in debt and he wants to borrow money from me"

"After all that shit he put you through in high school?" Gabriel gaped.

"Yep. He's a hypocrite, isn't he?"

"Totally. I wouldn't give it to him"

"I just did"

"What?"

"Yeah, but you know what you were saying the other day about revenge?"

"Yes?"

"I'm going to get some"

"Ha! Good for you. Are you charging him loads of interest and stuff? I don't know much about money, that's more of Rosaline's thing, but that's what you do, right?"

"Usually. But I'm not charging him any interest"

"Why? How does that work?"

"Last night, when he came to speak to me, I thought of this ingenious idea"

"What is it?" asked Gabriel, his blue eyes sparkling, waiting to hear his old friend's plan.

"I told him," sniggered Shylock "I told him if he doesn't pay me back within the allocated him, I want one pound of his own flesh!"

Shylock had been expecting Gabriel to shriek with hysterical laughter, or possibly cackle along with him. He'd been expecting to hear what a great plan it was, or words of encouragement. Gabriel was on his side, after all. They were friends. But what Gabriel replied with surprised him.

"Ew!" exclaimed Gabriel "That's disgusting! What do you want that for? Some demented sort of abstract art?"

Shylock glared at him.

"You are joking, right?" Gabriel went on.

"No"

Gabriel laughed feebly, and looked back at Shylock "But you're just trying to scare him, right? You don't actually want one pound of flesh, do you? Because that would be pretty rank. Imagine, like, if you put on display on the window sill or something. It would be all manky and rotting. Urgh"

"I should have guessed you wouldn't like my revenge plan, since you're such a vegetarian hippy" Shylock rolled his eyes again "Well, let's just see if he can pay me back. I'm sure he will. After all, the Montagues are raking it in, aren't they?"


	23. Screwing The Telly

Cornadopa - This chapter is dedicated to you! Hope I've got it ok.

So, I managed to squeeze in an update during my exams. In this chapter, some of the plot borrows from an awesome story called Mercutio and Allegra, which was written by an awesome author called Cornadopia. You should read her stuff, people. So yeah, Simon and Allegra don't belong to me, they belong to her, and I didn't invent this subplot.

And secondly, I know Allegra is fifteen, but in Italy the age of consent is fifteen. She and Merc can share a bed if they want, although Tybalt may not approve.

* * *

"I'm screwing the telly extra tight" grunted Tybalt.

"I bet you are!" giggled Mercutio.

"Not funny" Tybalt rolled his eyes "What I meant, was that I'm putting the screws that are holding the telly in place, in extra tight so that it doesn't fall and break again. So, if you guys want to play football in a house, then if the telly gets hit, it won't fall on the ground and act as a health hazard to that"

He pointed to Eliseo. Eliseo turned around and looked at Tybalt "Pookwam!"

"What the hell is a pookwam?" scoffed Tybalt.

"Your best friend?" suggested Mercutio.

"Are you talking about me?" asked Simon.

"No, because you don't have any friends" replied Mercutio "Maybe you and Gabriel Fulgencio should make a club"

Tybalt snorted, but Simon threw a filthy glare at them both. Mercutio grinned goofily, and then went back into the kitchen to butter some toast. Tybalt and Simon turned back to the telly, and started to fiddle around with it to make sure it was working. Eliseo crawled over and threw some screwdrivers out the fire escape without anyone noticing.

"Is that toast for us?" demanded Tybalt "I'm starving"

"Nope" replied Mercutio, heading back into his bedroom.

"Do we not even get a cup of tea for doing a job for you?" asked Simon.

"Water's in the kettle" Mercutio replied. He rapped the door "Wally-wegra! It's Wooshy-wo! I made you some toast"

"Why is Allegra in your bed?" spat Tybalt.

"Hmm...I don't believe I know. Why is Simon in yours?" retorted Mercutio. He pushed open the door, and Tybalt heard him cooing over his girlfriend.

"They make me sick" muttered Tybalt "Two of my least favourite people on the planet just had to get together. I can't imagine what their kids – Hey! Stop that, you little shit!"

He darted over, and wrestled the screwdriver away from Eliseo. Eliseo howled, and tried to grab it back. Immediately, Hermia barged out of her room in nothing more than a vest and knickers, Benvolio following in his Star Trek pyjamas. Mercutio hurried out of his with Allegra following.

"What are you doing to my poor baby?" demanded Hermia, scooping him up.

"He's throwing my screwdrivers out the fire escape!" snapped Tybalt.

"He's eight months old! He just thinks it's a game!" Hermia snapped back, cradling him as he cried.

"Oh, and that makes it all better?" scorned Tybalt "Those cost me. You can buy me some more, since it was your little pest that did it and you think it's acceptable to let children play in dangerous areas"

"Mercutio was watching him!" yelled Hermia.

"He was taking his little girlfriend some breakfast" mocked Tybalt "Who is, by the way, what, fifteen?"

"Oh, you can talk. You were, smoking, truanting, getting expelled, doing drugs, getting pissed by the time you were fifteen, and then a year later you screwed someone who'd just made a Chastity Pledge in the back of your stinky Chav Wagon. Classy, Tybalt, classy"

"Yeah, but we were both legal and it wasn't like we could do it in the house without my mum walking in on us, which she has done a couple of times, and anyway, she didn't want to pledge, she loved me!"

Meanwhile, Simon had let his eyes wander over the rest of the household. Neither Benvolio nor Mercutio had changed from when he had last seen them. Mercutio looked comical with his wild hair and mismatching gaudy clothes, and Benvolio looked oddly pathetic in Star Trek pyjamas. He was supposed to be eighteen, wasn't he? Hermia looked shameless, in just her underwear, but Simon wasn't surprised. What he did find unusual, was the blonde girl with them.

He didn't think he'd seen her before. She looked younger than them, in perhaps her mid teens, rather than her late teens. She looked vaguely similar to Hermia and Tybalt, although in Simon's opinion, she was much more attractive than Hermia.

"Who are you?" asked Simon, over the shouting.

Tybalt broke off yelling at Hermia to answer "That's Allegra, you retard"

"I'm a 'that?' Last I recalled, I was a girl" retorted Allegra.

"Whatever" snapped Tybalt. He shoved the screwdriver Eliseo's way "You know, I try and do something nice for you, and what do I get? An uncontrollable infant with an uncontrollable urge to throw my things out of a fire escape, and when I try to discipline said infant, I get yelled at? Well, sod this. Screw your own telly on the wall. And here's the screwdriver, so you can let Eliseo play with unsafe objects whilst you're at it. It's not my problem. Come on, Simon, let's go home. Rosaline will make us a cup of tea"

"He's eight months old. You only had to say 'no' and take the screwdriver away. Or come and get me" Hermia snapped.

"Or, Mercutio should have been keeping a closer eye on him" hissed Tybalt. He snatched up what was left of his stuff "Simon!"

"What?" demanded Simon.

"Quit staring at Allegra. I know she's ugly, but that's just plain rude"

"I was staring at those freakish pyjamas, actually" Simon jabbed a finger in Benvolio's direction.

"What's wrong with them?" asked Benvolio.

"Star Trek is for nerds!" responded Simon.

"He is a nerd. He's my nerd" answered Hermia. She proudly kissed him on the cheek. Simon and Tybalt stormed out the door and Mercutio slammed it, after yelling at them to 'get a room' and then sniggering to himself.

Allegra shivered "I didn't like him. He was creepy"

"I've always hated him" replied Hermia, gentling bouncing Eliseo to sooth him.

"Well, he won't come here again" decided Mercutio. He wrapped his arms around Allegra "Don't worry. We got our telly all fixed up for free, and it's all finished now. We don't need them. He won't come back again. Are you hungry? Do you still want your toast?"

"No thanks, Merc. You can have it. But, just wondering, do we have any peaches?"

"Peaches? You hate peaches" frowned Mercutio.

"Well, I like them now" shrugged Allegra. She slumped down at the breakfast table. The rest of the household slumped around her. Eliseo had piped down, and now snuggled against Hermia, snuffling and watching them all with glassy eyes.

"Mean old Uncle Tibby" scolded Mercutio, looking at his godson "Look, he was crying"

"Truth is, Eliseo shouldn't have been playing with screwdrivers. And you had agreed to keep an eye on him. But for Christ's sake, Tybalt didn't have to yell at him! A firm 'no' is enough"

"Just another example of why Tybalt Capulet will never be parent material" snorted Allegra. The others sniggered again, and then the phone rang.

"Who would ring us at this time in the morning?" grumbled Mercutio.

"Probably Rosaline. 'Don't scream at my Tibby when he did a job for you!'" mimicked Allegra. Benvolio climbed up, and grabbed the phone.

"Hello?"

The rest of his housemates turned away, and started to eat. Hermia turned back, to watch Benvolio's face fall and his mouth drop in horror. Mercutio and Allegra were next to turn, and eventually even Eliseo stared attentively. Benvolio dropped the phone, and looked back at them.

"That...that was dad" he gulped "He's gone bankrupt"


	24. Getting Revenge

Oreoskidz - Tybalt is, to quote Mercutio, 'a mean old poo poo head'

Dawnstar94 - I love psychology! My teacher is mad though. I was looking forward to studying Freud, but was disappointed when we did. As for Eliseo, I love writing him. He may look cute and sweet like Benvolio...but he has the mind of Hermia, and I bet he's plotting world domination!

Cornadopia - Yeah, the pound of flesh thing makes it hard for me to write him sympathetically, although I'm kind of pleased that you're able to see that neither Shylock nor Anthony is in the right, which is kind of my end goal. School's going ok, I'm on study leave, so I can have lie-ins now! Pookwam to you too.

So, I just came out of a two hour and a half long exam (I am sure I now have carpel tunnel syndrome) and needed a break. So I'm posting today. Tomorrow I have an English exam, but that's *only* two hours long!

Oh, and in the Child Swap Universe, today would be Tybalt's 20th birthday and Romeo's 18th birthday. Happy birthday to the pair of enemies.

* * *

Gabriel was polishing glasses at the bar. Quietly, he hummed to himself the melody of a song. He loved music, whether it was listening, playing, or singing it. Angelo always used to laugh as he sang to himself as he got on with tasks and call him a Disney Princess. But, Angelo was not here anymore, and Gabriel could sing all he liked. He could wear what he liked and say what he wanted. He glanced up, when he became aware of the fact that the door was open and an old man hobbled in.

"Can I help you?" asked Gabriel, wondering why someone so old would bother coming into a place dominated by young people.

The old man stumbled along, gasped for breath, and held onto a chair for support.

"Are you all right, sir?" Gabriel hurried out from behind the bar, to assist the man into a chair.

"I'm looking for my son!" wheezed the old man, after Gabriel had gently guided him into a seat.

"Here, wait one moment. Let me get you some water" Gabriel darted back behind the bar, filled a glass with water, and held it out to the old man.

"God bless you, young lad!"

"Thank you" replied Gabriel.

"There's not many polite young men like you around these days" he continued to wheeze.

"Well" said Gabriel, tucking a strand of blond hair behind his ear "Weren't you looking for your son?"

"Yes, yes! Of course. My son. His name's Launcelot"

"You mean Launcelot Gobbo?" asked Gabriel.

"Yes, that's him! You know him?"

"Yes, I do. He works here"

"Well, aren't you a helpful boy!" beamed the old man "Are you this good to your own old man?"

"No. I don't talk to my dad anymore" Gabriel shook his head.

"Oh...I'm sorry to hear that. Mother?"

"No"

"Siblings?"

"No. Just me. It's just...Gabriel. Just me"

"Oh, that's a shame"

"Truly, it isn't" Gabriel shook his head "Look, how about I go and fetch Launcelot for you? He's probably asleep, but I'm sure he won't mind. I live in one of the rooms above this buildings, and so does he. I have a key, so I can let myself in"

"You'd do that for me? Save me going up all those stairs?"

"Of course" nodded Gabriel.

"Thank you, young man!"

Gabriel fetched Launcelot, and watched the pair reunite. Launcelot joked around and teased the old man, and Gabriel decided to give them some privacy, by slipping into Shylock's office. A tear rolled out of the corner of his eye, but he dabbed it away furiously. He turned to talk to Shylock, but he was on the phone.

"He's bankrupt?" whispered Shylock excitedly "Absolutely, bankrupt? You're sure of it, Tubal? Anthony Montague has gone bankrupt? Ha!"

He slammed down the phone, and grinned.

"What's going on?" asked Gabriel.

"Why are you upset?" asked Shylock, looking at him.

"I'm not" Gabriel wiped his eyes again, glad he hadn't worn any eyeliner today "What's happened?"

"This is our chance!" beamed Shylock.

"Our chance? Our chance for what?"

Shylock simply rolled his eyes "Anthony Montague is bankrupt"

"So?" shrugged Gabriel "I guess Benvolio will finally lose some weight"

"This is our chance for revenge! My revenge" grinned Shylock, clenching his hands into fists and unclenching them.

Gabriel frowned "How?"

"Doesn't Anthony Montague owe me three thousand Euros?" smirked Shylock.

"Well, you aren't going to get it back if he's bankrupt" remarked Gabriel.

Shylock rolled his eyes again "But I'm certainly going to get my forfeit!"

"Your what?"

"My forfeit!" Shylock grinned even wider.

"What, you mean, one pound of flesh?" gasped Gabriel.

"Yep!"

"That...that's disgusting!" shrieked Gabriel "You aren't serious, are you?"

"Do I joke often?"

"Well, it depends" Gabriel shrugged. Shylock had a dry, subtle sense of humour. Unlike Gabriel, who shrieked with hysterical laughter when he was happy, Shylock was far more likely to smirk. And smirking he was. Worriedly, Gabriel turned, and fled back to the glasses. Launcelot was talking about leaving here to go some place, and his father occasionally wheezed encouraging words. Enviously, Gabriel delved into his own thoughts.

Shylock _had_ to be joking about the pound of flesh. Depending on where he wanted it from, that could kill or seriously injure Anthony. And what did Shylock plan on doing with said piece of flesh? Display it on a wall? The thought made Gabriel feel sicker than when he had gone to a skiing resort with Angelo and seen a mounted reindeer head on a wall. Angelo told him he was stupid for getting upset, yet Gabriel had nightmares about the poor animal for weeks, even when they went home.

With a shudder, Gabriel went back to polishing glasses. It had to be a joke. Shylock wouldn't go that far. Sure, he could be rude, like when he yelled at his staff for not pulling their weight, and sure, he could be snarky, but Gabriel knew his friend. He wasn't a murderer.


	25. Anthony Forfeits

So, Gabriel's in the know. I wonder how Anthony and Beatrix are feeling. This will probably be my last update for this week, as I have an exam on Monday and Wednesday. Might be able to update tomorrow, so I'll see how it goes.

* * *

After salvaging what they could of their belongings, Anthony and Beatrix slumped down on the sofa of the Montague Ranch. Beatrix looked up at her dad. She was shocked. How could he have gone bankrupt? To her, he'd known everything and could do anything. He'd helped her manage her money, and so Beatrix had just assumed that he was doing ok with his. He'd never let on that he was doing badly, and it just stunned Beatrix.

"What are we going to do?" asked Beatrix, hesitatingly.

"Do?" replied Anthony.

"Where are we going to go? We've lost everything, haven't we?"

Anthony bent his head, embarrassed "Yes. We've lost everything"

Beatrix began to cry. She barely understood any of what was going on. Her knowledge of money was childlike, really.

"You're going to be ok" Anthony said firmly "You have a job. You have an income. You're going to save up, get your own place, and meet some nice chap and settle down"

"But Robert Pattinson doesn't live here"

Anthony growled.

"So what are you going to do?" asked Beatrix, quickly changing the subject.

"I guess I'll have to stay here" sighed Anthony.

"But what about Benvolio? How's he going to stay in Venice? He hasn't even started his university course yet"

"I don't know" admitted Anthony "I just...don't know"

His brother, Lord Montague, walked into the front room "Dinner's nearly ready, by the way. Paulina says your rooms are made up for you so you can go and put your bags away. And Anthony, someone is on the phone for you. Shall I leave you in private?"

"Who is it?" asked Anthony, expecting it to be his son.

"Somebody called Shylock"

Anthony's stomach plummeted. He accepted the phone, and cleared his throat.

"Hello?"

"Well, well, well" said Shylock deliciously "I heard about your unfortunate news"

"Yes. I'm bankrupt" sighed Anthony.

"You have absolutely no money, whatsoever?"

"None. Nothing"

"Hmm...well, I just wonder how you're going to pay me back" said Shylock.

"I can't" replied Anthony, through gritted teeth.

"But we made our deal"

"I know. But I can't pay you. I have nothing to pay you with. There's nothing I can do"

"Nothing? I won't be getting back my three thousand Euros?"

"No. Not for a while"

"Oh. Well. I guess I'll just have to settle for my little bond then, won't I?"

"Wha..."

"Yes. My bond, Anthony, my bond. You remember our deal, don't you? You should, because you signed it. Or maybe your ugly fat jock brain has forgotten it already. That wouldn't surprise me. You and your friends were woefully ignorant of a little thing called 'religious tolerance' when the rest of our generation back in the eighties was catching up"

"Uh...that was back in the past!" spluttered Anthony "We were just kids. Kids can be cruel"

"And don't we know it" Shylock rolled his eyes "So, how are you going to pay me back? I know you can't exactly magic three thousand Euros out of thin air, so that does just leave the pound of flesh. When am I going to get it, Anthony? I've cleared a space on the window sill to keep it"

"I...beg your pardon?"

"I said, I've cleared a space on the window sill to keep your pound of flesh"

"You...you psycho!" Anthony yelled.

"Dad? What's going on?" asked Beatrix, from where she was now pouring over a copy of Twilight.

"Nothing, Beatrix, it's nothing" Anthony lied. He grabbed the phone, and hurried outside into the courtyard. It was empty, besides one of Paulina's dogs mooching around in the grass.

"Who were you talking too?"

"My daughter, Beatrix" replied Anthony.

"Oh, yes, the other one. I've heard about your Twilight-obsessed little freak. I'd never let Jessica act like that, you know"

"Whatever, it makes her happy. And look, I'm not giving you one pound of my own flesh. What is this, some sort of sick joke?"

"You signed the deal" Shylock said carelessly.

"I was desperate. I was worried I'd...become like this. Bankrupt. I'm living in my brother's house with my daughter, and my son will probably have to drop out of university if I don't find some more money. I didn't realise you were...whatever. Whatever this is, please, just stop"

"Please, just stop" mimicked Shylock "Isn't that what I said to you when you stole my kippah and threw it on top of the bike sheds?"

"Said what?"

"Do you have long-term memory loss or something? You ruined my life in high school. And now, I'm going to ruin yours. I want my bond. And if I don't get it...hm, then I think I'll contact a financial lawyer, and see what they have to say about it. Or, since you don't like legitimate loans, I'll just set my heavies on you. And I don't mean little blond ballerinas, or danseurs, as he keeps trying to get me to say, I'm talking thugs. How would you like that?"

Anthony dropped the phone. In a stupor, he wandered back into the house. Beatrix was still reading Twilight. Claudio had settled on the sofa next to her, and Paulina was kneeling on the floor, grooming her dog. Romeo was sulking in the corner. He appeared to do that whenever Anthony and Beatrix saw him, especially when Venice was mentioned.

"You all right, dad?" asked Beatrix, looking up "You look as if you've seen a vampire or something – Oh my God, was it Edward?"

"Shut up, Beatrix!" groaned Romeo.

"Can I get you anything?" asked Claudio.

"Venice" said Anthony.

"Ssh" hissed Paulina, jerking her head in Romeo's direction.

"Venice" repeated Anthony "I have to go to Venice"


	26. Benvolio Clues Up

Cornadopia - Things are going to be very ugly indeed. But hey - I managed to update this morning before I start my revision for the day. And that sucks about your driving test! But don't worry, virtually everyone I know has failed the first time they take it. Better luck next time :)

Oh dear, Shylock wants flesh! And Beatrix wants Robert Pattinson! Now, we'll skip over to Venice where Benvolio starts to get clued up about what's going on. I hoped you all like Benvolio and Mercutio's religious views. May the force be with you.

* * *

"Keegog!" Eliseo giggled, whilst sitting astride Benvolio's chest.

"Keegog!" repeated Benvolio, rolling a little to the side so Eliseo teetered, and then Benvolio grabbed him before he fell. Eliseo laughed as they both bounced on the bed, and waved his chubby little arms in the air. Benvolio grabbed one of his sweet little hands and blew a raspberry. Eliseo shrieked with laughter even more, and then Benvolio lay him on his back, and blew another raspberry on his tummy. Eliseo screamed with laughter.

"What are you doing in here? Torturing your child?" asked Mercutio, opening the door.

"No" Benvolio shook his head "He likes it, don't you, duck? Hey, where's your ducky?"

"I was playing with it last night" replied Mercutio.

"Why were you playing with Eliseo's toys?" asked Benvolio.

"Because they're fun!" protested Mercutio. Benvolio shook his head. Eliseo whined, wanting to play again. Benvolio turning his attention back to his son and began to tickle his toes.

"Well, anyway, I just came to tell you. Your dad rung and Hermia answered" said Mercutio.

"Did he? Did he want to speak to me?"

"No, he seemed like he was in a rush, though. He said something really quickly. I think we managed to catch something about him coming to Venice today and staying with somebody called Lorenzo"

"What?" asked Benvolio, still tickling Eliseo.

"Yeah. He says he's coming to Venice. Weird, right? Maybe Tybalt rung him and told him we were having a wild house party and that you'd smashed the new telly as well"

"But why?" asked Benvolio, ignoring Eliseo to turn and stare at Mercutio "He's bankrupt. How will he afford the train fare? And the vaporetto. And the gondola. And why's he coming here if he's in trouble in Verona?"

"I don't know" shrugged Mercutio.

"Ung-daaaa!" cried Eliseo.

"He said dada!" exclaimed Benvolio excitedly.

"Sounded more like 'Ungda' to me" remarked Mercutio.

"No, he's definitely starting to say dada. Me and Hermia have a competition going on, to see whether he'll say dada or mama first. Come on, Eliseo, say dada"

"Say Uncle Wooshy-wo" instructed Mercutio.

"Wugywo!"

"Well then" smirked Mercutio "I win the competition"

"You bastard!" yelled Benvolio, playfully shoving Mercutio.

"I'm the bastard? Your kid's the bastard in this room!"

"Oi! We're engaged now"

"You weren't even dating properly when he was born" tutted Mercutio "Naughty, naughty, Benvolio! What will your Catholic family say to you?"

"Don't be so stupid, they're not that bad! They had one rant at me, but that was just a kind of 'Why didn't you use a thing that begins with a C' and a 'Why didn't you tell us you were doing something that begins with S in the first place'"

Mercutio sniggered at Benvolio's prudishness.

"And anyway, it was dad who told me off, he told the rest of them not to get involved. So no, they won't say anything!"

"Well, I can't wait until they find out you're a Jedi" Mercutio continued to snicker.

"Hey! That was an in-joke between us when we filled in the university admission forms. They don't need to know" said Benvolio.

"I think they do" giggled Mercutio "I'll ring them up and yell, Benvolio's a Jedi! Benvolio's a Jedi!"

"Ssh! That old bag downstairs will hear you!" protested Benvolio. The door barged open again, and this time Hermia stepped in.

"Did you tell Benny his dad rang?"

"Yes, and then he called our baby a bastard and proceeded to threaten to tell my family about how I filled in Jedi as my religion on the university admission forms"

"Oh, no, that's not nice" Hermia sucked her teeth.

"Why do you think dad's coming to Venice?" asked Benvolio "I mean, if he's bankrupt, how can he afford the fare to get here? And he should stay in Verona and try and put things together. Beatrix needs him"

"Maybe he wants to see you personally" said Mercutio.

"Maybe" mused Benvolio.

"Or maybe he's found out you're a Jedi as well"

"Stop this! It isn't funny. I'm worried about him, you know" Benvolio added.

"He told you he could look after himself" replied Mercutio.

"I know, I know" Benvolio went back to tickling Eliseo, who began to giggle again "I just hope everything will be all right, for Eliseo's sake"

"Of course it will" said Hermia firmly "My dad's paying for him now. He's not too bothered, since that what he was expecting to do when he was born. He's worried about your dad as well, especially when he found out he'd gone under"

"I'm worried about him too..." Benvolio mused. His mind wandered back to when he had last seen his dad. It had been when he had taken out that loan, the weird one, the one with a pound of his own flesh as forfeit...

Benvolio's heart sped up. Now that Anthony had no money to pay off his debt...would he really have to give up a pound of his own flesh? Benvolio was no fool, he knew that that could kill his dad depending on where Shylock took it.

Was that why Anthony was coming to Venice? To give up one pound of his own flesh? Benvolio felt sick. He could feel bile rising behind his tonsils, and the room went faint. Hermia, Eliseo and Mercutio spun horribly.

"Benvolio? Benvolio?" someone asked him, but their voice sounded as if there was an ocean of water between them both. He couldn't tell if it was Hermia or Mercutio who was calling his name. Wearily, he sat back down on the bed to gain control of himself. He heard Eliseo cry in protest as he sat down on a toy.

Eliseo. Benvolio found himself back in the room, to see his entire group of flatmates staring at him.

"My baby" he gasped, clutching his son to his chest.

"Benvolio, are you all right?" asked Hermia. She placed a cool hand on his forehead "You had me worried, you went all faint and looked like you were going to be sick"

Benvolio clutched Eliseo tightly to his chest "It's dad. He took out a loan. With a creepy forfeit. And now he's going to die"

"Die?" repeated Hermia "Why's he going to die? Are there gangsters involved? I'll get Tybalt to sort them out"

"No. It's this weird bond thing" Benvolio burrowed his face in Eliseo's curls for a moment, breathing in his sweet baby scent of talcum powder and milk, before lifting his face again "He was doing badly a couple of weeks ago, but he wouldn't let on what was going on when I asked him. He took out a loan to pay for the television I broke from a guy called Shylock who used to hate him in high school. But there was no interest, just this weird bond thing"

"What bond?" frowned Hermia "I don't get it, this money stuff is all Rosaline's sort of thing"

"If my dad failed to pay back the three thousand Euros within the allocated amount of time, then he had to fulfil this bond of giving Shylock a pound of his own flesh"

"Flesh?" repeated Mercutio, obviously disgusted.

"What is he going to do with that?" asked Hermia "Display it on a wall? God, that's really gross!"

"No" Benvolio shook his head "I think he's going to kill him"


	27. Benvolio's Back In The Dark

So, I don't have any exams until Tuesday, and I thought I'd update. I don't know if I can update until after then, as I have to get revising again.

* * *

"Thanks for doing this, Lorenzo" said Anthony, dumping down his bag on the floor.

"It's not a problem" shrugged Lorenzo "You helped me out when I had some financial trouble, and it seems only fair I should do the same"

Anthony smiled sadly to himself. Lorenzo was an old friend, even though he was younger than him, and Anthony had helped him out of a tight spot once. He hadn't charged interest or anything, just made Lorenzo buy the first round of drinks when they went out.

"How's your grandson?" asked Lorenzo "It's been eight months, right?"

"Nine in September. I can't believe how time flies. He's such a little sweetheart. I just feel so terrible, knowing I've let my family down"

"Hey, don't be silly. They understand. It was nice of your brother to agree to pay Benvolio's tuition fees and share of the bills"

"I feel like a charity case" muttered Anthony darkly.

"Anthony, none of us, not Salerio, not Salarino, not Solanio and certainly not Gratiano, think of you that way. We should all get together for old times sake, you know, when this thing has been sorted out" Lorenzo cleared his throat "So, are you going to see your family?"

"Yes, yes, of course, I have to speak to them" Anthony ran a hand through his short hair.

"I'm sure everything will all work out fine in the end, Anthony..." Lorenzo trailed off "I know what he's like. He's difficult, and snarky"

"Who?"

"You know. Shylock"

"How do you know Shylock?"

Lorenzo coughed "Well, I was out with some new pals, and we went to this place where we could get cheap booze, and that was his bar. I met his daughter, Jessica, there. She's a great girl, you see, so I go there regularly. I've met him a couple of times. He doesn't even bother turning up to work on Friday nights, when it's really busy. He just leaves this guy, Launcelot, who's considering leaving to look after his dad, and this annoying blond kid-"

"Gabriel" growled Anthony.

"To do all his work" finished Lorenzo.

"Typical" Anthony rolled his eyes "So, how old is his daughter? Can't be much older than my two, can she?"

"She's twenty one"

"Bit young for you" remarked Anthony.

"I'm younger than you" retorted Lorenzo "And anyway, your last one was twenty four. And the annoying blond kid, Gabriel, is dating a woman who's thirty three, when he's eighteen. He was bragging about her buying him these stupid new shoes"

"You know, if my Beatrix was here, she'd say 'Oh my God! He's like that guy out of One Direction!'"

"Has she still not stopped obsessing over Twilight and boy bands and got any decent taste?" gasped Lorenzo.

"I'm afraid not. Look, I better get going to Benvolio's place. Knowing him, he's probably freaking out and has shoved all his spare change into a college fund for Eliseo. He's so precautional and rational, it's annoying. I don't know what to do with him, seriously...well, maybe not that precautional, since he was too embarrassed to buy himself some condoms that would fit him and run the risk of...whatever, I'm babbling. I'll see you later"

Anthony grabbed his (practically empty) wallet, and headed back out into the streets of Venice. He flagged a gondola, and told the Gondola Man where to take him. The irritated Gondola Man spoke of a group of students and a baby who had messed around, dancing in the gondola. Anthony shook his head. The story sounded familiar, but at least it wasn't Benvolio and his household.

After trekking up the stairs and being glared at by that old woman, Anthony knocked open the door. Benvolio flung it open and seized him in an embrace.

"Hey! You're suffocating me! Put me down, Ben!"

Benvolio released him "Dad, what are we going to do? He can't kill you, he can't, he can't!"

"Shut up, Benvolio" sighed Anthony "He's not going to kill me. Stop over-reacting. This is just some psycho prank he's trying to play on me"

"But how do you know? How can you be sure?"

"I just do" replied Anthony.

"But why would he do that? What did you do to him?"

"Nothing, Benvolio, I did nothing. I knew him in high school, he was jealous of me, that was all. We both wanted similar careers and he always thought we had to compete against each other for some reason, and I just happened to be better than him at everything. It was no big deal"

"But...one pound of flesh! One pound of _flesh_!"

Anthony rolled his eyes "I told you, it's a joke. A silly, psycho joke"

"I should never have let you take out the loan. We're only in deeper trouble. Why did I have to be so stupid and break that stupid telly? Why, why, why?"

"Shut up, Benvolio!" Anthony almost snapped "What's done is done. Stop whining, you're getting on my nerves. Where's Eliseo?"

"Asleep" replied Benvolio "I put him down for his afternoon nap half an hour ago. Hermia's having a nap too, and I'm tidying up because Mercutio was being stupid again and decided to play 'Hunt The Lucky Marble' with Hermia and Allegra, left the Lucky Marble under a rug, forgot where he put it, left it there, I tripped over it and knocked down the bookcase, and had to put it back up again"

"But at least we found the Lucky Marble!" shouted Mercutio from the front room.

"Oh my God" muttered Anthony, feeling a surge of sympathy for Adelaide.

"At least nothing was broken" Benvolio added "I don't think I'd seen his mum so mad since the time she looked at a picture of their house on Google Earth, and saw him on the roof!"

"That was Romeo!" exclaimed Mercutio.

"Great. Mercutio is still being a lunatic, and I'm bankrupt" muttered Anthony.

"But what are you going to do?" asked Benvolio "I don't fully understand this thing. You said you had some allocated time. Why can't he wait while you raise the money?"

"No, no, it doesn't work like that!" Anthony exclaimed fustratedly "My businesses and the house have been lost to pay off what had to be paid off. And because I'm not earning anymore money, and am unlikely to do so within the time, I've forfeited the bond. There is no money coming into my account. It's complicated, Benvolio, just forget about it"

"I can't forget it! And I'm not a little boy, I understand how numbers work. I'm about to start a degree in maths, of course I will understand. Just tell me, and we can work something out"

"You wouldn't understand, this is grown-up's work"

"I have a kid of my own!"

"And you're a kid a yourself. Give over, Benvolio, stop whining. I'll sort this out. I just came here to tell you that you have nothing to worry about, nothing to panic about, absolutely nothing to be concerned over. I'll take care of everything, like I said, ok?"

"Yes, dad" sighed Benvolio.


	28. It's Serious

So yeah, my exams have all finished now. I can get back to writing. No reviews in two weeks? Wow...that's how I deep I got into Exam Land.

And the character Shylock mentions at the end of this chapter, Wolfsheim, is a character in the Great Gatsby. I studied it for my A Level English exam. He reminded me of Shylock for some reason.

* * *

A good old threat was sure to do it, Anthony thought to himself as he caught the gondola the next morning. Yes, that would do it. If he upset Shylock enough, which was what he had always been good at when he was younger, then the idiot would quit playing games and stop this 'one pound of flesh' rubbish. Anthony had managed to talk himself into a sense of security on the way to Venice. Sure, he'd freaked out when Shylock had called him, but he'd pulled himself together since then. He was going to be fine.

This morning the gondolier grumbled about a blond boy who'd attempted to drag almost five hundred bags of shopping onto the gondola. Apparently, this boy needed all these clothes and shoes very urgently, yet they were all so heavy he could barely lift them, and it made the gondola wobble. Gondola Man had had to make two journeys back and forth, and couldn't charge him double because the boy just screamed at him and threatened to call a lawyer. Anthony winced. He knew who that was.

He rapped on the door.

Gabriel opened the door "Can I help you?"

"Where is Shylock?" asked Anthony "And no, it's not Shabbat. And I doubt he's at another Bar Mitzvah, since the first time you said it, it was a lie"

"He's at a Bat Mitzvah" replied Gabriel.

"Same thing"

"No, it isn't" Gabriel shook his head "It's Bar Mitzvah for the boys, which happens when they are thirteen, and Bat Mitzvah for the girls, which happens when they are twelve, dumbass. Even I know that, and I failed my Religious Education exam. What do you want this time?"

"I want to talk to him. I want him to stop playing psycho pranks with my head. Did you put him up to this?"

"Why would I?" mocked Gabriel "I'm a vegetarian, it's hardly likely that I'd turn cannibal and start demanding flesh"

"Whatever, you freak. I'll ask again. Is Shylock in?"

"Who is it, Gabriel?" called a voice.

"I'll take that as a yes" said Anthony, barging past Gabriel. Gabriel tottered, and grasped the edge of the door for support. Anthony stormed into Shylock's office, and stood with his hands on his hips.

Shylock looked up at him from his desk "Oh, hi there, Anthony. Did you come to give me one pound of flesh?"

"Very funny, Shylock" Anthony rolled his eyes.

"I know. I'm rolling on the floor with glee" retorted Shylock.

"Whatever you're playing at, you better stop it" snarled Anthony "This has gone too far"

Shylock shrugged "You signed the deal"

"I didn't know it would end up like this!" yelled Anthony "Well, this is disgusting. I'm not giving you one pound of flesh. When I get myself back on my feet, I will give you three thousand Euros, because to ask for one pound of flesh is gross and barbaric and you should know better"

Shylock simply ignored him "But you haven't paid it back to me within the allocated time. I am legally able to gain one pound of flesh, whether you like it or not. So when do I get it? You can give it to me now if you like. I'll just have Gabriel fetch a knife"

"No!" roared Anthony. He slammed his hands down on the table. Shylock didn't flinch "You're sick!"

"Oh, and practising anti-Semitism isn't?" sneered Shylock, standing up and making his way from behind his desk to stand in front of Anthony "You made me look like a fool in front of our peers, and ruined my life back in the old days. And now I'm going to ruin yours. People like you shouldn't be allowed to exist. I'm going to drag you through the courts, and make sure your name is left in the mud. You better watch your back from now on. If you're lucky, you might even get to see Emilio or whoever's first birthday"

"It's Eliseo" snarled Anthony "I'd like to see you try. I beat you up in high school plenty of times. I work out at the gym once a week, and I could easily do it again"

"Hmph! If you could even get to me. I have connections, I have gangs. I'm not a stereotypical Jewish nice boy, I'm Wolfsheim, with molars for cufflinks, and I'm taking you to court. I'm sue every last penny out of you and your family, and then..." Shylock trailed off, his fists clenched and his eyes narrowed "I'm going to watch you die"


	29. The Better Man

So, some of you may know that a few days ago, my dear little cat Pandora was killed in a car accident a few days ago. Because of this, I'm not really sure if I want to continue writing for now. Pandora was always by my side on my lap I wrote, purring to her heart's content, trying to push my hand away from the keyboard to get me to stroke her instead, and it breaks my heart to write alone, however annoying she could be! So I thought I'd update today and then take a break.

Gabriel may seem to be set in his bitchy ways when it comes to interacting with old foes and friends, but has he finally started to grow up?

* * *

Gabriel watched Anthony flee with a panic-stricken look on his face, and then turned to look though the door at Shylock. The door had been left with a ten centimetre crack, just enough for Gabriel to peer through. He watched Shylock laugh, and then ring up Tubal. Gabriel heard the conversation that transpired, holding his breath so that he would remain undetected.

"I'll kill him...I'll make him suffer" he heard Shylock cackle.

Gabriel waited until he had finished, his breath hitched, before slipping inside.

"Shylock?" he asked tentatively.

Shylock turned to face him. His dark eyes were wild with passion and he seemed to be frowning.

"Shylock, you've got to stop this" said Gabriel firmly, although he felt himself shaking "This has gone too far. You've gone mad. You can't kill Anthony!"

"I'll do what I like" snapped Shylock.

"But, you can't kill him!" cried Gabriel "Please, listen to me. I understand you. I know how you feel. I've been there. But killing him is not going to make you feel any better about yourself. It will make things worse for you"

Shylock threw him a filthy look, but Gabriel went on.

"And look, I know he bullied you in high school, but you are a better man than he is. Don't stoop to his level. I once did. I tried to kill Demetrius, remember? It was your pal who I got the gun from, and no good came of that. My family almost disowned me. Most the Capulets hate me. Just stop, because this is a bad idea. A really, really bad idea"

Shylock snorted "I should have known you'd switch your side"

"What?" gasped Gabriel "No! I'm on your side! I'm your friend! Just don't kill him! Sure, he's an asshole, but you shouldn't kill people! It's against the law!"

"It's against the law!" mimicked Shylock, in a high-pitched voice that was meant to imitate Gabriel "You've done plenty of illegal things, Gabriel. And so have I. That didn't stop me then. And I won't stop now. Not until I see that bastard bleeding to death"

Gabriel cried "No!"

"Shut up!" snapped Shylock, slapping him. Gabriel clutched his mouth.

"You...you hit me? You're insane! You've gone mad! You can't kill him! That's wrong, that's sick!"

Shylock grabbed him by the arm, and dragged him out the office. Gabriel shrieked and struggled, protesting to be let go of. He stormed up the stairs to where Gabriel's room was, and threw him inside.

"I'm sick of your whiny little voice. And I won't let you squeal on me to the police. You're going to stay here until I can think of something to do with you!"

Gabriel squealed as he landed awkwardly. The door slammed, and Gabriel heard the rattle of keys. He darted towards the door, and tugged at it, trying to open it, but Shylock had locked him in. Gabriel pounded on the door, screaming to be let out, but to no avail. He heard further shouting downstairs.

"Launcelot! Jessica!" hollered Gabriel "Launcelot, Jessica, he's out of his mind! Let me out!"

When it became apparent that no one was coming, Gabriel launched himself around his room. He rammed his clothes into his case, tucked his possessions in, and shut Snooky in her pet carrier. He packed everything he had brought to Venice. He knew he couldn't stay here. Now that Shylock had gone mad, completely mad, he had to get out.

He had to warn Benvolio.

Sure, Gabriel still didn't like him. But he was no fool. He'd learnt his lesson. He knew what was right and what was wrong. Killing someone in revenge did not make things ok. It simply made you as bad as the perpetrator. Gabriel hammered as hard as he could.

"Let me out!" he screeched at the door "LET ME OUT! I'LL CALL ANGELO!"

Angelo! Of course. Gabriel pulled out his mobile and began to hastily dial his father's number.

"Angelo? Daddy? It's me, Gabriel. I'm sorry I didn't ring before, but I'm in Venice, and I'm staying with one of my friends, but it's all gone wrong, and I need you to come and get me-"

Then he gasped as he realised. He had no signal. He'd managed to ring Amparo ok when he first arrived, but any other time, his phone had clapped out on him. Gabriel cried out in anguish, and collapsed on the bed, sobbing. In spite of what had happened, Gabriel still cared for his older friend, and didn't want to see him in trouble about this. Shylock was a better man than Anthony, and Gabriel couldn't bear to see him stoop to such a level.

Gabriel sobbed. This truly was one of the worst days of his life. It was right up there when he'd been thrown out of La Scala, when he thought he had killed Tybalt, when he lost all his friends, when he found out what happened to Lavinia and when he saw her afterwards, when Angelo replaced him with Rosaline, when his mother walked out and left him...


	30. Benvolio's Deal

It's been a month, right? Well, in that time I've got back on track, and welcomed two new little kitties who needed love into my home. They also happen to be Pandora's little sisters. Plus, I have started my personal statement for when I apply to universities to study English Literature and Creative Writing (of course)

* * *

Lorenzo was perplexed to see his friend arrive back home a babbling wreck. Firstly, he worried for Jessica's safety, and then he gave Anthony a glass of wine. He knew that leaving Anthony here to find Jessica would be daft, as Anthony needed someone to sit with him, and so he called Benvolio. Benvolio arrived, and Lorenzo tried to leave then, but Benvolio soon descended into a similar babbling wreck.

"This is crazy, I should never have let you-"

Finally, Anthony seemed to pull himself together "Stop that, Benvolio!" Benvolio stopped, and swallowed his words "That's better"

"But what are you going to do? If he's trying to kill you...this is my fault"

"No, Benvolio, it's not your fault. I can take care of this-"

"No, you can't!" yelled Benvolio "It was my fault in the first place, I will take care of this"

He paced around the room as Lorenzo and Anthony watched him. Benvolio ran a hand through his messy hair, giving up as it just tugged against tangles.

"Right. That's it. I have a solution"

"Really?" asked Anthony.

"Yes" replied Benvolio "And here's what I'll do. I'll invite him to dinner, I'll be polite, and I'll reason with him. He can't be some insane axe-murderer. There has to be a reason he's acting this way. I'll reason with him, and explain that he'll get his three thousand Euros in good time. That's the sensible thing to do"

"He is an insane axe-murderer. He's been jealous of me for as long as he can remember, and he's just happy to watch me suffer" snapped Anthony.

"You shouting at him and being rude did not do you any favours!" retorted Benvolio "The sensible thing to do would be to be diplomatic. Then he'll realize what he's doing is wrong and stop"

"Oh yeah, and you worked absolute wonders when we were feuding with the Capulets" muttered Anthony.

"Good idea, Benvolio" said Lorenzo, relieved someone actually thought sense around here.

"If you give me the address, I'll go now" said Benvolio. Anthony gave him the address, and Benvolio headed out.

It was weird being out without Eliseo on his arm. Benvolio had almost forgotten what it was like to be alone. He wasn't sure if he liked it or not. He did almost everything with his son by his side these days. They cuddled up together, and Benvolio would read a book or watch _Star Trek_ with him curled on his chest. Benvolio was proudly making sure his son would follow in his footsteps as a Trekkie. There was always someone to care for, someone to love, someone who needed him. Benvolio wasn't the sort of idiot who thought that women were the only ones who could look after children adequately, and was just as involved as Hermia was when it came to changing nappies, cleaning up puke and giving him a bath. Now that Eliseo was eating baby food, Benvolio could help with feeding him as well.

He caught a gondola, and handed him the address. The gondolier frowned, and asked him if he was sure he wanted to go there. Benvolio nodded, and then settled down to watch Venice go by. He still couldn't believe he was here. Maybe when this business with Shylock was finished he could once again relax and enjoy being here, although he was still unsure of his future at university now Anthony was bankrupt.

The gondolier jolted to a halt, and Benvolio murmured a thank you, looking around at the scenery. Two dark-haired boys in leggings and heels regarded him, before starting to giggle. Benvolio self-consciously adjusted his shirt and glasses. They reminded him strongly of Gabriel.

"My dork radar is positively throbbing!" he heard one whisper, before the other giggled louder.

Benvolio hurried away, and found himself outside of what must be Shylock's place. He pushed open the door, to find Jessica and Launcelot talking urgently. He knew who Jessica was, since Lorenzo had described her to him, although he didn't know who Launcelot was.

"We're closed!" exclaimed Jessica.

"I know, I'm sorry, but I need to speak to Shylock"

"Another one?" asked Launcelot.

"Now's not a good time" dismissed Jessica.

"It's urgent" insisted Benvolio "Please. I only mean good intentions"

"Who is it?" snapped Shylock, emerging from his office. Benvolio gasped, but then composed himself.

"Me" said Benvolio "I don't know if you've heard of me before, but my name is Benvolio Montague, my dad is Anthony Montague, and I think we need to talk sometime"

Shylock snorted "You look like him...just uglier, I guess. I suppose some of the crap Gabriel comes out with does have an element of truth sometimes"

Benvolio ignored the comment, although it always hurt when people called him ugly. _'Hermia thinks you're cute, Hermia says you're handsome...'_ he told himself.

"Dad, you can't lock Gabriel up like that, it's mean!" protested Jessica.

"LET ME OUT!"

Benvolio jumped "What's going on?"

"LET ME OUT! MY FATHER WILL HEAR OF THIS!"

"What is this?" gasped Benvolio.

"He's staying there, and that's final!" roared Shylock. Jessica and Launcelot flinched. They both quietly made their excuses, and left, leaving Benvolio alone with Shylock.

"I..." began Benvolio "I'm truly sorry that you won't get back your three thousand Euros, I know it's a lot of money"

He reasoned that whatever was happening with Gabriel was not his problem, nor was it anything to do with him. It was between Shylock and Gabriel, whatever was going on, and so they could resolve it themselves. Benvolio only had Anthony's welfare on his mind.

Shylock regarded him.

"But, I have to admit, you're going a little bit too far with this one pound of flesh thing" Benvolio stammered "So, look, to make it up to you, how about you come to my house for dinner? We can talk things through and reach some sort of conclusion, make a compromise, or something. I'm sorry about this, truly, I am. I know it was all my fault to begin with, since I broke that stupid television"

Shylock threw him a filthy look, and Benvolio felt like he was covered in slime.

"I'm not poking fun at you or anything" Benvolio continued to protest "I just...I just want to make things up to you"

Shylock rolled his eyes. This kid was truly pathetic.

"I will buy with you, sell with you, talk with you, walk with you, and so following, but I will not eat with you, drink with you, nor pray with you" muttered Shylock.

Benvolio managed to catch some of the words Shylock muttered, and flinched.

"I'm not asking you to convert, I just want to be friendly" protested Benvolio.

Shylock rolled his eyes again. To be honest, he wanted to see what he had to offer for dinner, and what other lame excuses he could come up with.

"Very well. Let's see what you have to offer"


	31. Cultural Sensitivity

iluvshinjimina - Welcome back! Hope you're doing well at college. And thanks for the business law lesson! It was really helpful, much more helpful than Wikipedia, lol. As you may have guessed, I'm basically pants at anything involved numbers or business and such. I will take your tips into consideration and perhaps rewrite some future chapters so that it is a bit more realistic. If it's ok, if I have any questions, can I email you? It would be really helpful, since I'm so dumb!

Maybetheawesome - Thanks for the review! I think I'm getting back on track now. I will reply to your PM after I've finished updating.

So, a little bit about this chapter. The 'Shit Happens' poster that the gang possess is a poster I have in my room. I love it, it makes me laugh all the time. You can google 'shit happens' and see it. My favourite one is 'Dog - I just shit in your shoe'

And also, I hope this chapter isn't provocative in any way. I just kind of wanted to portray what a worrywart Benvolio is, and also how even nice guys like him who are tolerate can still be pretty ignorant about how to treat people with different religious beliefs. Let me know how to make improvements if it sucks.

* * *

The apartment had to be spotless. Benvolio had put Eliseo in his play pen so he didn't make a mess. Eliseo was whining to be let out, but Benvolio ignored him. He had straightened the cushions, vacuumed the carpet and scrubbed down the table, kitchen work surface and the kitchen floor. He had dusted every surface, and polished them so that they gleamed. He put all of Eliseo's toys in his toy box and made sure there were none under the sofa or the rug. Any of Mercutio's bizarre junk that he had left lying around the place he had picked up, and simply dumped it at the end of Mercutio's bed whilst he still slept. Benvolio just didn't get how one morning Mercutio was content to get up at six and wake everyone else up, yet the following day he would lie in until noon, moaning at Allegra if she got up and he couldn't cuddle her anymore.

Then he turned his attentions to the bathroom. He bleached and scrubbed the toilet, wiped down the bath and the sink, and rearranged all the toothbrushes. He straightened all the products in the bathroom cabinet so that the cupboard doors didn't hang open, threw away Mercutio's disgusting shampoo and bubble bath 'potions,' put the old towels in the washing machine, and laid out a fresh set.

Then he turned his attentions back to the living area. He had to make the place... 'Shylock-friendly'

Which meant removing all of Mercutio's South Park DVDs and Borat from the DVD cabinet, taking down the 'Shit Happens' poster which had inscriptions of every religious or political opinion with their unique view of how shit happened in the world. For the Jews, it said 'Why does shit always happen to us?' Benvolio doubted Shylock would find the poster as funny as Mercutio and Hermia did. Then, he turned to the book shelf. To prevent any awkward glances occurring, he took out every history book relating to Nazis or Hitler or the Holocaust, and put them in his room. It was eleven 'o' clock, and Hermia was still asleep. In one morning, Benvolio had tidied the entire house, and they were all still asleep.

And that left dinner. Benvolio had carefully selected his outfit last night, and he would change into it shortly before Shylock arrived. For now, he was just wearing something old that he could clean in. It would also do, if he wanted to nip down the market to get some food. Benvolio freed Eliseo from the play pen and popped him in his buggy. He grabbed the changing bag in case Eliseo needed his nappy changed, grabbed twenty pounds from Mercutio's wallet, since Mercutio ate most the food anyway, and they headed out.

He purchased the supplies for dinner, and several other bits and bobs, and then headed back home. He put all of those away, whilst he let Eliseo crawl around for a little. He couldn't make that much mess in just ten minutes, after all.

The house was perfect. It was twelve 'o' clock. Besides him and Eliseo, only Allegra appeared to be moving. She used the bathroom, bade him good morning, and blinked at how clean the house appeared.

Then Mercutio paraded out, in his silk patchwork dressing gown, demanding breakfast, and so before Benvolio knew it, the kitchen was a mess again.

"Listen up, guys" he said, standing before them all "I have cleaned and tidied this place from top to bottom for when Shylock comes to tea. I'm going to get changed at around six 'o' clock, and start cooking. If you lot would be so kind, please be on your best behaviour. I have one chance to convince Shylock not to hanker after this weird bond thing, and it's now. Ok?"

"Is that why all my stuff was dumped on my bedroom floor?" asked Mercutio.

"Is that why I woke up to find books about Nazi Germany dumped on my bedside table?" asked Hermia.

"Is that why I had a dream about walking through a clean version of this house?" asked Allegra.

"Pattawatta!" Eliseo declared.

"Yes. I cleaned up. And don't make any more mess, whatever you do!" instructed Benvolio "And, if you lot are going to stay here whilst we have dinner, then I have some more rules"

"Rules?" whined the trio.

"Yes! Rules" Benvolio cleared his throat "No Jew jokes. No insensitive remarks. No culture bashing. No quoting South Park. No quoting Life Of Brian. No quoting Borat. And absolutely none of your gross bawdy jokes, Mercutio. In fact, if I hear one squeak out of you and your rude jokes, then I'll..."

Benvolio raced off into Mercutio room, and carried out Mercutio's cuddly llama.

"Put Norris down!" cried Mercutio.

"Any jokes, and Norris goes out the window and into the canal. I mean it!" threatened Benvolio.

"Ok, sorry, dad" sulked Mercutio.

"I think we're clear" sighed Benvolio "Let's make this a really good evening, so that Shylock forgives my dad, stops this 'pound of flesh' nonsense, and things can go back to normal, ok?"

"Yes, Benvolio" replied Mercutio "We'll be good. Hey – how about I cook, and you can have a shower and concentrate on getting ready?"

"Really? You'd do that?" asked Benvolio.

"Of course! I could make everybody's favourite...Sausage Surprise!"

Hermia and Allegra laughed, but Benvolio cried out.

"Jews don't eat pork, you fool! Just make something vegetarian"

"No bacon!" gasped Mercutio.

"Yes, no bacon. Now, are you going to be sensible and culture-sensitive?"

"Of course, Benvolio" Mercutio smiled innocently. Benvolio sighed, praying that there wouldn't be some kind of disaster. He had no idea how to behave around Shylock without offending him. He didn't know much about Jewish people, although he had heard some of the silly negative stereotypes that his dad had joked about. Benvolio was a good guy – he knew that they were just stereotypes and that wasn't the truth, but all the same, he still didn't know how to act.

He wasn't particularly religious - after witnessing his mother suffer and die from cancer, it was kind of hard to belief. So it wasn't like Benvolio was going to attempt to convert Shylock. Benvolio was also a pacifist, and so he didn't believe in religious wars or debates, so it wasn't like he was going to argue with Shylock at all. Benvolio was just that sort of 'you do your thing and I'll do mine, and let's not argue about it' guy.

He just hoped it would be enough.


	32. The Great Escape

Oreoskidz - I love that poster too. My favourite one is Shakespeare - to shit or not to shit, that is the question. I made up my own one - Shit, shit, wherefore art thou shit?

Maybetheawesome - I don't think there has been a recorded incidence of Mercutio being on his best behaviour. If, that is to say, it exists at all.

Uh oh, poor Benvolio. Let's skip over to see how Shylock's doing. Can Gabriel escape to safety?

* * *

"Listen here, Jessica" said Shylock sternly, grabbing his wallet and adjusting his cufflinks "Lock the windows and doors up. I don't like you being here alone"

"Yes, dad" nodded Jessica. Shylock frowned, and straightened the pens on his desk.

"You be careful. Don't let anyone in, and don't let anyone out"

As if to add to that point, there was a light thump from upstairs. Shylock scowled and muttered to himself.

"Yes, dad" Jessica nodded again, although her heart was racing. She kissed him on the cheek, and then watched him leave before closing the door "Goodbye" she whispered softly to herself.

Then she turned back to Shylock's study. She grabbed a set of keys, and then hurried up the stairs.

Gabriel had exhausted himself by hammering on the door. He'd taken to the liberty of using one of his new earrings he had bought for when he could change them to try and pick the lock, and ended up scraping all of the skin from his fingers. He'd put on a pair of stilettos and lay on his back, kicking the door to try and puncture holes, but to no avail. His window was too high for him to jump to safety, and he couldn't, not with all of his luggage.

He was slummed on the floor, his stomach growling. Gabriel was used to feeling hungry, since he didn't eat much anyway, but with nothing to do and no ballet dancer's figure to strive for anymore, all he could feel was the fruitless pangs. Snooky meowed. Gabriel hadn't let her out in the twenty four hours he had been locked in here, hoping he'd be able to make a break for it at some point.

It was growing dark again. Gabriel didn't have the strength nor the energy to switch on the light. He'd tried to ring various family and friends, but to no avail. His phone battery was slowly dying, but he'd broken his charger when he was stumbling around frantically, trying to pack and get out of here. There was nothing he could do about it.

He heard knocking and scrapping at the door. He scrambled up, ready to barge past Shylock or however it was.

Jessica slipped her head in.

"Jessica! Oh thank God, thank God, thank God!" cried Gabriel "And Goddess"

"I'm so sorry about what dad did, locking you up in here, I don't-"

"No, no, it's ok" Gabriel reassured her "He's gone mad, hasn't he? Mad with anger. I tried to warn him, to get him to stop, but-"

"I know, so did I, but he was in this mood, and when he's in this mood, he-"

"Won't listen at all" Gabriel nodded along. He choked back another sob "Oh God. He was such a nice man. A good man. And then Anthony did this to him"

"We can't stay here" Jessica shook her head.

"No, we can't. It's not safe" agreed Gabriel.

"Launcelot isn't staying here. He's leaving for Verona with his dad tonight"

"At least he'll be safe" Gabriel added.

"I know. None of us can stay here. Tonight, Lorenzo is going to come and get me, and I'm going to move in with him. I've got one last year at university, and I think we might be getting engaged soon. I'm going to leave before dad can stop me"

"But won't he catch us? Where is he?"

"He's gone. He's gone out"

"Out? Where?"

"Benvolio's house"

"What?" gasped Gabriel.

"He's gone for dinner. Benvolio knows what's going on and yesterday he just turned up and invited him to dinner to try and reason with him"

"Oh my God, is he stupid or what? That won't work!" exclaimed Gabriel.

"I know, poor kid. He was so clueless and naive. Quick, come on, let's go while we can"

Gabriel grabbed his things. He had managed to cram everything he needed into the case he had brought with him to Venice, and carried Snooky in her pet carrier. He and Jessica headed downstairs, after she grabbed a bag of her things and they were joined by Launcelot. They headed into Shylock's office, where Jessica hunted around for money.

"I need this, for my university course. He was going to give it to me anyway. Maybe without the money he'll learn his lesson and realise it's not everything. Oh, I don't know. Here, do you need any?"

Gabriel found himself shaking his head "No. You take it. It's not mine to take. It's yours"

Jessica stuffed the last wad into her pocket, and then raided Shylock's draw, before pulling out a ring.

"What's that?" asked Gabriel.

"My mother's ring" Jessica slid it onto one finger "It's all he kept of her. Well, it's mine now. He doesn't deserve it, acting like this. Lorenzo will be here soon. Come on, get your stuff, let's get ready to run"

Gabriel picked up his stuff again, and they headed to the door. There was a knock, and then they both froze. Jessica peered through a darkened window, and then breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's Lorenzo" She opened the door, and threw herself into his arms. Gabriel looked away enviously.

"Are you ready to go?" asked Lorenzo.

"Yes" nodded Jessica. She turned to Gabriel and Launcelot, and hugged them both "Good luck, Gabriel, good luck, Launcelot"

"You too" nodded Gabriel.

"Yeah, and you" said Launcelot. Jessica turned to follow Lorenzo with their stuff, heading in one direction. Launcelot turned to go and reunite with his father in another direction, leaving Gabriel standing in the middle, with nowhere to go.

He looked from side to side. He didn't know where he could go. He couldn't follow them, that was for sure. They had their own lives and their own stories. But all Gabriel knew was that he had to get out of here, and fast. He ran, carrying the suitcase and a pet carrier. Snooky yowled as he ran.


	33. Disaster Lurks

Maybetheawesome - Ha! I did that deliberately. Hopefully, he'll grow up and stop bitching while he's at it. And Snooky is exactly the sort of cat I want.

Shylock's on his way. Benvolio and his friends are frantically preparing for dinner. I wonder how it will all go down...?

* * *

Benvolio turned, this way and that, looking in the mirror. He wasn't vain, but tonight he scrutinised every inch of himself. He looked just as he did usually – his eyes were hazel, framed by a pair of glasses, and he still had that innocent doe-like appearance. And, as usual, his hair was untidy, and his dress sense was just missing that something. He sighed, wondering what to do.

"Hurry up! I'm about to piss myself!" yelled Mercutio, hammering on the door.

"Just a second!" insisted Benvolio, dragging Hermia's hairbrush through his hair, trying to make himself look tidier.

"Benny, I'm busting!" complained Mercutio "I'm about to pee on the floor! And how would you like it if Shylock turned up and the whole house stunk of piss?"

"Mercutio, that's really gross!" Benvolio shouted back, continuing to brush.

"But it's true! Come on, I need the loo!"

"Fine!" Benvolio slammed down Hermia's hairbrush, and yanked open the door. Mercutio rushed in before Benvolio could even get out, and sat on the toilet seat "Mercutio!"

"What?"

"At least let me get out before you pull down your trousers! Honestly, you're disgusting!"

"You should have hurried up then" Mercutio shrugged. Benvolio left, closing the door. He turned to the oven. Hermia was poking at cauliflower and cheese, and Allegra was buttering some bread. Benvolio breathed a sigh of relief. The dinner was on track.

"Where's Eliseo?" asked Benvolio.

"Mercutio's room" replied Hermia.

"Why's he in there?"

"So if he makes a mess, it doesn't matter, because it already is a mess" explained Hermia "Isn't that right, Allegra?"

"Yeah! It's a good tactic with kids"

"Mercutio's room is a health hazard!" cried Benvolio. He dashed into Mercutio's room, to discover his son curled up asleep on Mercutio's cuddly toys. He sighed of relief, but was still shocked at the fact Mercutio had left paintbrushes with sharp ends within the infant's grasp. It was no good trying to tidy up in here, so as quietly and as gently as he could, he picked up Eliseo, and carried him into his own room.

But Eliseo howled. He liked Uncle Wooshy-wo's room! He screamed for ages, even after Benvolio put him in his crib with his favourite fluffy duck, gave him his dummy, and sang him his favourite song.

"Now look what you've done!" grumbled Hermia. She brushed past him and scooped up Eliseo "Allegra, could you sing him to sleep whilst I help my idiot husband-to-be finish cooking?"

Allegra cradled her godson "The stars lean down to kiss you, and I lie awake and miss you. Pour me a heavy dose of atmosphere..."

The fire alarm went off.

"No!" yelled Hermia, as smoke billowed out of the oven. Benvolio switched off the heat, and dragged out a charcoaled bowl of cauliflower cheese.

"Shit!" cursed Benvolio. Mercutio wandered uselessly out of the bathroom.

"Something smells like Tybalt's butt. Are you cooking 'Sausage Surprise?'"

"No" whimpered Benvolio "Look. Look at the cauliflower cheese. Shylock will be here..." He turned to glance at the clock "Ten minutes!"

Mercutio flapped his arms at the fire alarm "Go away! Go away smoke! Go away you poo poo head!"

"Oh, that's really helpful" grumbled Benvolio, standing on the kitchen counter and pressing the button so it stopped. He turned back to Hermia, poking at the charcoaled cauliflower cheese "What are we going to do?"

"Serve dessert first?" suggested Mercutio.

Benvolio rolled his eyes "We have pasta, right? Lots of pasta? Right, Mercutio, you cook the pasta, I'll rustle up some sauce. Hermia, chop some vegetables. We've got to do something, guys"

Allegra emerged, carrying Eliseo "He's still crying, I've sung him 'Vanilla Twilight' and normally that works but it didn't work this time"

"It's because he's teething. Benvolio, give him a rusk thingy" said Hermia, frantically chopping carrots "Oh, shit!"

"What is it?"

"I just sliced my thumb. Ow, fuck, ow!"

Benvolio rushed over and clasped her thumb in his hand. It didn't look so bad, so he just kissed it and wrapped some kitchen roll around it.

"We've got five minutes" said Benvolio. He grabbed a rusk, and plonked in it Eliseo's hand. Eliseo squashed it into crumbs and dropped it on the floor "You little pest! I just hoovered this morning"

"Move the rug on top of it" suggested Allegra. Benvolio did just so, and then hurried back to table, straightening the knives and forks. Hermia had finished chopping carrots, and had moved onto onions. Mercutio was chopping peppers, and was squirting tomato puree into a pan.

"We can do this, can't we guys?" Benvolio asked frantically.

"Sure we can! It won't be as bad as the time as we had the Chinese ambassador to tea, and the cook had just caught her husband making out with the gardener and was too busy chasing him around the lawn to cook the food and let it burn, so we had to order Chinese takeout and pretend we cooked it" replied Mercutio, tipping a cup of water into the sauce. Hermia shook some salt over into it, and threw the rest of the sliced vegetables into it.

"That's great, Mercutio. Just what I need to hear"

"Thank you" beamed Mercutio. He hastily stirred the pan of sauce and then the pan of pasta, as Hermia chucked the destroyed cauliflower cheese into the bin.

"Any moment now" muttered Benvolio, as the clock struck seven 'o' clock.

"Should I try and get Eliseo to sleep?" asked Allegra, juggling him.

"Nog-za" Eliseo shook his head.

"Yes, yes. So he doesn't get under Shylock's feet or anything" nodded Benvolio. Allegra bounced him up and down in her arms, and then headed into Benvolio's room, to try and soothe him to sleep. Benvolio breathed a sigh of relief as he, Hermia and Mercutio continued work on the food. He had just finished laying a plate of buttered bread and a jug of water on the table when the door buzzed.

He and his housemates looked at each other.

"Shylock!" they yelled.


	34. Poor Little Rich Boy

Maybetheawesome - Oh yeah. Cutting your finger sucks. So painful for such a small cut!

The first half of this chapter was inspired by Regina Spektor's song 'Poor Little Rich Boy' It sums up Gabriel pretty well. The second half of this chapter is influenced by A Streetcar Named Desire. I've decided that Gabriel reminds me of Blanche, Rosaline reminds me of Stella, and Tybalt and Simon remind me of Stanley. The final part of this chapter is influenced by Madonna's video for 'Like A Prayer' That song reminds me of this story for some reason.

After that long A/N, just want to clarify that Simon is not mine - he's Cornadopia's, and she let me use him since her character Allegra is having an extended cameo. Go read 'Mercutio and Allegra' people. And review it. Because it's so awesome!

* * *

Gabriel ran down the streets, as it grew darker and darker. The crowded streets were clearing of tourists, and his arms felt like they were about to drop off. Snooky yowled and yowled, and people turned and looked at him. Gabriel wanted to get out of their sight, but he didn't want to be alone and isolated. He couldn't afford a vaporetto, and there were only two bridges over the main river, which he would have to walk too if he wanted to cross. His Uncle Iago's house was somewhere around here, and Gabriel hoped that maybe, just maybe, he had arrived home earlier, or his cousin Roderigo or his Aunty Emilia might be in and they could let him in and let him ring Amparo. Or if not, Gabriel could climb in through a window and stay for a few days. Uncle Iago wouldn't mind too much – he'd always been understanding of Gabriel and sympathised with him for having to live with Angelo and having to put up with him and his hypocrisy.

Gabriel's shoulders slumped as he neared the house. The lights were out. He hammered on the door, to no avail. There was no way of getting in, and he almost wanted to cry.

But he couldn't give up. He couldn't sleep on the _streets_! They were full of hobos and crack addicts, and Gabriel was neither. So, he headed back to the plaza. It was dark, and deserted, but for a few couples as they waltzed home together. Gabriel's heart panged, thinking of Amparo and her warm embrace. Or even Angelo's, back when he had been little and able to squeeze a few cuddles and affection from him. Or his mother's, when he had been even littler, and had someone who loved him unconditionally, whether he was a dancer or a footballer.

The sun had gone down, and Gabriel was frozen to the bone. The night's chilly air whipped through the streets. He shivered, wanting something to eat. He imagined Rosaline, curled up in Tybalt's strong arms. Lucky bitch.

* * *

Rosaline scowled. Simon was smoking, and the air was filling of his foul-smelling smoke. The ceilings were slowly turning yellow, and she wouldn't be surprised if Simon's parents were angry about it.

Tybalt sat next to him on the sofa, flicking through channels. He slumped backwards, in one of his old grotty t-shirts and manky tracksuit trousers that Rosaline was sure she had made him throw away months ago.

"Here, Ty, mate, have some of this" Simon offered his old pal the cigarette.

"Tibby doesn't smoke anymore" snapped Rosaline "He quit so his wound would heal properly"

"Well, it's healed now, isn't it?" shrugged Simon.

Tybalt grabbed the cigarette and inhaled. Immediately, his scar panged, and he yanked the cigarette out of his mouth, coughing and wheezing.

"What did I tell you?" snapped Rosaline, snatching the cigarette and stubbing it out in an ashtray.

"Chill out, Ros, I was just trying it out" instructed Tybalt. Rosaline frowned and shook her head. She was liking Simon less and less. Tybalt was doing well, and then he had turned up, bringing with him all of Tybalt's old bad habits. Tybalt was paying less attention to her, and much less attention at work. Instead of standing around and watching Tybalt debauch himself any further, Rosaline stalked upstairs and began to paint her nails.

The door rapped. Rosaline sat up straight, and then hurried down the stairs. Tybalt and Simon were playing horribly loud rap music, and were laughing at something. They probably had beer cans in either hand and were lounging on the sofa, surrounded in boy filth.

Upon opening the door, Rosaline was perplexed to find her little half-brother standing with a case and a pet carrier.

"Gabriel?"

"It's all gone wrong!" wailed Gabriel "Shylock's gone insane! He's a flesh-hungry maniac and he locked me in a room for twenty four hours and is threatening to kill Anthony Montague!"

"What?"

"I said...Shylock's trying to kill someone and he locked me up! In a room! With no food! And no water! For twenty four hours!" shrieked Gabriel.

"What are you talking about?" asked Rosaline, moving aside to invite him in.

"Shylock is trying to kill Anthony!" Gabriel repeated "Don't your ears work?"

"My ears work fine" snapped Rosaline "What are you doing here, and why?"

"I have nowhere to go" wept Gabriel "I have no money. My phone is dead. And I need you. You're my sister"

Rosaline sighed, and then embraced her younger brother. It was daft – Tybalt and his old-fashioned 'family values' had had an influence on her, and so whenever someone in her family needed her, she'd move heaven and earth for them.

"What's that smell?" asked Gabriel, sniffing.

"That is the smell of unwashed boys" replied Rosaline. She opened up the front room door to reveal Tybalt and Simon playing poker around the coffee table.

"Oooh, poker. Could I kibitz?" asked Gabriel, bending over Tybalt's cards.

"Get lost, brat!" grunted Tybalt, snatching his cards away. Gabriel wrinkled his nose.

"Why are you here?" asked Simon.

"Because he has nowhere to go" replied Rosaline "His friend Shylock has turned into some crazy homicidal maniac, and apparently he locked Gabriel up in a room, and apparently, he is also trying to kill Anthony Montague"

"About time too" grunted Simon "I hate that man. He threw us out his club once, didn't he, Ty? And he tried to fight you"

"I remember" replied Tybalt "Why's he trying to kill him? Are you sure this isn't another one of your stupid stories, Gabriel?"

"Would I lie about something like this?"

"Yes!" answered the other three. Gabriel raised his thin blond eyebrows in genuine surprise.

"I would not!" he protested.

Tybalt just rolled his eyes, and Simon glared at the boy "So, you're expecting to stay here from now on? You are aware this is my house, aren't you?"

"Yes, he is. And I'm going to help sort him out" interrupted Rosaline. She tugged Gabriel into the kitchen.

"Simon is just as disgusting as ever" dismissed Gabriel, after she had shut the door "He's like an animal. He acts like one, looks like one..."

Rosaline pursed her lips "Well, I suppose it's not his fault. You should see his parents. Especially his mum"

"Oh, I can imagine" Gabriel started to giggle "A big, beefy thing, I suppose"

Rosaline giggled along with him "When Tibby and I first got here, we saw their room was above the kitchen, and in the kitchen...we saw...the plaster...cracked!"

"Shut up in there!" yelled Tybalt.

"You can't hear us over that horrible racket!" Rosaline yelled back.

"Well you can hear us, so we can hear you!" Simon added.

"Beefy thing!" cackled Gabriel. He wandered over to an ipod docking station, where Rosaline's pink Nano rested. Gabriel flicked on one of Rosaline's girly playlists and swirled around the room "So, tell me, Ros, how have you been keeping? You look good, being a career girl suits you..."

"Turn that off!" yelled Simon "We can't hear our music!"

"Good! It's horrible" replied Gabriel.

"It's Tinie Tempa for Christ's sake!" shouted Simon.

"Who?" retorted Gabriel "Never heard of them. These rappers, they're all the same. Same name, same voice, same songs. Boring! Our music is much better, isn't it, Rosaline?"

They heard the scrapping of chairs, and Simon and Tybalt swaggered into the room.

"Can I help you?" asked Gabriel.

"Out" hissed Simon.

"What?"

"You heard me. Out! I can't stand boys like you"

"Well, I can't stand boys like you, so I guess we're pretty even all way round" snapped Gabriel.

"We've been nice to you" hissed Tybalt "I let you getting away with shooting me, even though I'm permanently scarred for life, because I knew you'd be a prime target for bullying. But you're still just as self-centred and pathetic as ever. Maybe the streets will toughen you up a bit. Out!"

"Rosaline!" pleaded Gabriel.

"Just call Angelo and let him take care of you for once" Rosaline rolled her eyes "I'm not having any drama in this house. Tibby, you have work in the morning, so you had better stop drinking that cheap shit"

"I'll drink what I want" growled Tybalt, shoving back a sip. Simon cheered. Gabriel grabbed his stuff.

"Fine. I know where I'm not wanted. I wouldn't want to stay here with you warthogs anyway" Gabriel sniffed, and drew himself up to his full height "But, just before I go, I'd like to leave you with something"

"What?" demanded Tybalt.

"Imagine Mercutio" smirked Gabriel.

"Yeah, and? It's not a pretty sight"

"I know that. So, now, imagine Mercutio...naked!"

"You little...!"

Gabriel left, and once again he was running. It was completely dark. There was no one about. There was nowhere to go. Eventually, Gabriel found solace in a church. The door was unlocked, and at least there were a few candles lit that would keep him warm. It may have been summer, but in the night it was cold.

Gabriel laid down his suitcase and Snooky's carrier. He sat down on a pew, and leant his head back, as more tears poured down his cheeks.

Just a few months ago, he had been the pampered only son of a millionaire. Now he was homeless, seeking shelter in a church, when he'd given up on Catholicism years ago.

He didn't have money. Amparo had offered to send him some when he first arrived, but Gabriel had said he was fine. He'd spent that money on shopping and partying. He couldn't have taken Shylock's money. Jessica needed it more than he did.

His Uncle Iago was away.

Rosaline and Tybalt wanted nothing to do with him.

His phone's battery was dead, having broken the charger as he frantically dashed around his room, trying to escape. He couldn't contact anyone even if he wanted too.

He didn't know how he was going to make it out of Venice.

He was all alone.


	35. Cat Out The Bag

Oreoskidz - LOL! I just reread that and got the dirty side of it! Hahaha, Gabriel secretly wants Tybalt!

Maybetheawesome - Haha, Gabe is jealous!

As a heads up, this chapter is a bit insensitive to Jews, since I needed it to go all wrong. And also, I wrestled with myself whether or not to post the thing that Mercutio asks Shylock at the end of the chapter, but I decided to because I needed a reason for Shylock to get mad, so sorry if any offence is caused and any guys end up crossing their legs.

* * *

Benvolio opened the door "Hi" he squeaked "So nice of you to make it. We're having pasta and sauce for dinner. Is that all right with you?"

"Why can I smell burning?" asked Shylock.

"That was the cauliflower cheese. But it's ok, we're not having it anymore" replied Benvolio "Come in! Shall I take your hat?"

"It's a kippah. I'm not supposed to take it off"

"Oh! Of course. Sorry, I..." Benvolio trailed off. He was screwing up already. He'd hadn't known that a kippah wasn't your average hat! Benvolio was just trying to be polite. He'd forgotten everything concerning Judaism from his RE lessons that he'd finished two years ago. No one ever paid attention in those lessons - not even nerds like Benvolio.

Shylock cast a critical eye around the room. Eliseo was still whining in the other room, and Benvolio heard Allegra singing. Mentally, he reminded himself to thank her when this was over.

"This is my friend Mercutio" said Benvolio, waving a hand in Mercutio's direction "Mercutio, this is Shylock"

"Hello!" said Mercutio brightly "You can call me Wooshy-wo. Or Sexy Beast. Or Hot Stuff. Or, if you want to get real friendly, Mercikins"

"Nice to meet you" responded Shylock, an eyebrow raised.

"And this is my fiancé, Hermia" said Benvolio, gesturing to Hermia "Hermia, this is Shylock"

"Hi, nice to meet you" Hermia swung out from behind the counters and shook Shylock's hand.

"Nice to meet you too" said Shylock.

"Shall I show you around?" asked Benvolio "This is the kitchen"

"I gathered"

Benvolio swallowed "So, yes...this is the kitchen. This is the dining area, where we'll be having dinner soon. This is the living area. It's all in one room, so, um, it's nice and open and we can keep an eye on Eliseo when he's crawling around"

"Who's Eliseo?" asked Shylock, interested in seeing what the second generation of Anthony Montague spawn looked like.

"Eliseo's mine and Hermia's son. He's nearly nine months, and he's at the stage where he can crawl like a baby Olympian and pick himself up against stuff. And cause mischief. Allegra is just putting him down for a nap"

"And who's Allegra?" asked Shylock.

"My sexy beast of a girlfriend!" beamed Mercutio.

"She's Mercutio's girlfriend" said Benvolio, narrowing his eyes at Mercutio "Well, if you need to go to the bathroom, it's just through here. And this is the spare room where Eliseo will sleep when he gets bigger. He sleeps in mine and Hermia's room right now, which is just over there"

"What about that room?" asked Shylock, pointing.

Benvolio's eyes widened "You really don't want to go in there"

"That's my room" giggled Mercutio.

"It's a tip. It's a hazard. You'll break your neck and die. Um, can I get you anything to drink? We have coke, lemonade, water or Mercutio's disgusting strawberry and broccoli smoothie mixes"

"I think I'm fine for now" replied Shylock.

"Oh. Ok. Um, please, take a seat. Dinner will be served soon"

Benvolio showed Shylock to the sofa in front of the television, and then darted back into the kitchen "What do you think? Am I doing ok?" he hissed to his housemates.

"A kippah is not a hat, Benvolio" snorted Hermia.

"Well, I didn't know! It's a kind of hat, isn't it? Oh, God, I hope I haven't offended him or anything. I hope he doesn't think I was winding him up. Right, how's dinner doing?"

"Oooh, dinner is looking good!" said Mercutio loudly, so Shylock wouldn't guess they had just been discussing him "You know, Benvolio, I think it will be about another ten minutes. Is the table laid out?"

"Yes, it's nearly ready" Hermia added, winking at Benvolio. Benvolio smiled back at her, and then hurried back to Shylock's side. He sat down beside him at the sofa.

"Hermia and Mercutio say dinner will be ready in ten minutes"

"I heard"

"It's pasta with sauce. Did you say that was ok?"

"It's fine" replied Shylock. He looked at the television "So. That's what started all the trouble"

"I know. It's funny. Not...funny ha ha, but...funny...weird funny"

"So, I suppose you've invited me here to talk to me about my bond" said Shylock, tapping his fingers against the arm rest of the sofa. Benvolio was speechless, but then nodded quickly.

"Please...if you could just give him more time to pay..."

"I said I'd have my bond, and that was final" Shylock glanced coldly at Benvolio.

"Dinner's ready!" yelled Hermia.

Benvolio turned to Shylock "Dinner's ready"

"I heard her"

Shylock stood up with Benvolio, and they sat down at the table, so that Benvolio sat opposite him, Mercutio sat at the head of the table, Hermia sat next to Shylock, leaving the space between Benvolio and Mercutio free for Allegra.

"Is he still crying?" asked Benvolio, meaning Eliseo.

"Doesn't seem like it. I'll just get Allegra" said Hermia. She got up, but Allegra emerged from Benvolio and Hermia's room carrying him.

"He needs his nappy changed and I'm not doing it" said Allegra.

"Me neither" added Mercutio.

"Not me either. Go on, Benvolio, we're serving dinner" instructed Hermia. Benvolio got up, and picked up his son. He carried him over to where they kept the changing things. Eliseo beamed at him, seemingly delighted he had managed to drag his daddy away from his task.

"Little monster" muttered Benvolio.

"Daaa" smiled Eliseo. Benvolio turned his back to get a fresh nappy, but Eliseo was up, and crawled off through the living room.

"Hey! No! Eliseo, come back!" called Benvolio "I haven't put your nappy on yet!"

"Maaa!" crowed Eliseo, reaching for Hermia as she carried through two steaming plates of pasta and sauce.

"Be careful! I'm carrying a hot plate! Go to daddy, Eliseo!" said Hermia. She tried to step around him, but tripped. Two plates fell and smashed. Eliseo howled. Horrified, Benvolio rushed after his son and scooped him up. Thankfully, he was unhurt.

"Oh...I am so sorry, Shylock, truly, he's just such a little pest, I don't know what to do with him"

Hermia crawled up with the help of Mercutio, who rapidly swept up the ruins of the food and the plates and chucked them in the bin. There were only three plates of food left, when there were five people dining. Mercutio and Hermia shared a glance. Silently, they divided up the remaining portions so that they had the smallest amount, and then carried those out.

"Good job there was a spare amount in the pan!" Hermia added brightly "Sorry about Eliseo, he just wants to play. We were trying to put him down for a nap, but he takes after me sometimes. An energetic little wriggler!"

Benvolio emerged, Eliseo clothed in a new nappy, and dumped him in a play pen. They sat down to dinner. Shylock did not look pleased. The amount on each plate was meagre.

"I'm on a diet" Hermia nodded "Trying to shed all my pregnancy weight. That's why we're all eating healthy. Right, guys?"

"Oh, yeah, me too. I've put some weight on around my tummy" Allegra added.

"My bum is fat" said Mercutio.

Shylock looked at Benvolio.

"I have man boobs" said Benvolio.

"Dig in!" declared Mercutio "I love pasta. I like getting long bits, and sucking them like in Lady and the Tramp. Didn't we try that once, Allegra?"

"Yeah! And it does work! Except you get tomato on your chin and nose"

"Let's do it now!"

"Another day, Mercutio" Benvolio raised his eyebrows. For once, Mercutio got the hint and ate his food sensibly. An awkward silence filled the air. Benvolio didn't know what to say to get the conversation flowing. He barely knew Shylock. He didn't want to say anything that would provoke Mercutio's dirty sense of humour, or anything that would offend Shylock. He wanted to start talking Shylock out of his weird bond again, but Benvolio had neither the confidence nor the charisma to do so.

"So...Shylock, what do you do?" asked Hermia "You know, like, for a living"

"I own a nightclub" replied Shylock "And I've invested in a few businesses, shall we say? And I also give out loans"

"Oh, that's cool. I work in Benny's mum's bookstore" replied Hermia, swinging her legs "It's a nice place, you know? Even though I don't like reading much"

"So what made you come to Venice?" asked Shylock.

"University. Mercutio and I, we're about to attend Ca' Foscari" replied Benvolio.

"Oh, I see. What are you going to study?"

"Maths" replied Benvolio.

"Art" replied Mercutio "I like drawing naked people. In fact, I got Benvolio to pose nude for me a couple of weeks back. Want to see?"

Colour flared in Benvolio's cheeks "I did not!"

"Yes, you did! I had to get you drunk first. I sent it to the university as part of my portfolio too. They liked it. They want me to draw more" Mercutio waggled his eyebrows.

"I don't want to see any nude drawings, thank you very much" retorted Shylock.

"That's a shame, because Benvolio's such a sexy beast" sighed Mercutio "Did you go to university? What did you study?"

"Business and finance" replied Shylock frostily.

"Ah, like my cousins!" said Hermia "Have you met Tybalt and Rosaline? They're doing something money-related"

"Economics" nodded Allegra.

"I used to know Tybalt's parents. I was friends with his father" said Shylock.

"Oh, the homicidal maniac?" said Mercutio "He killed Benvolio's dad's best friend. That's why he's called Benvolio. He was named after the poor chap"

"He had it coming" muttered Shylock.

"Excuse me?" asked Mercutio.

Shylock smiled patronizingly at him "Nothing"

"No, you said something. What did you say?" asked Mercutio.

"He said nothing" hissed Benvolio, kicking his friend under the table. Mercutio busied himself eating. Hermia turned to Shylock.

"So, if you don't mind my asking" she began "But why exactly do you want the pound of flesh so much? Because I mean, that is a bit gross and OTT. It's like something out of a horror movie, like the Human Centipede. Benvolio was scared shitless, it was hilarious! And Allegra, you couldn't watch! Me and Mercutio thought it was great because it meant we got all the popcorn, but then afterwards we tossed up because the film was so rank"

"I'm eating" groaned Allegra "I'm going to throw up like I did yesterday morning after your horrible attempt at marshmallow and chocolate spread sandwich"

"Yeah, so why do you want a pound of flesh?" asked Hermia bluntly.

"It's my bond. We made the deal. He forfeited. Now I get the bond. End of story" snapped Shylock.

"Yeah, but he'll die" Hermia interrupted "Are you like, some twisted cannibalistic psycho?"

"Hermia!" hissed Benvolio. But he knew that wouldn't work. Hermia had always been blunt and honest. And when something was on her mind, she would say it.

"Oh, so you think I'm a monster, right?"

"Well, yeah" shrugged Hermia "I mean, what has Anthony ever done to you?"

Shylock's mouth parted and he scowled. The rest of the table looked back at him.

"Oh, so he didn't tell you?"

"Tell us what?" asked Benvolio.

"About how he used to bully me?"

"Bully you? Anthony's not a bully, he's a nice guy. I grew up knowing him and he used to let me, Romeo and Benvolio hang out in his club even though we were underage so we could have somewhere to go" replied Mercutio.

"So he's a liar as well" Shylock snorted "Wake up to the truth, kids. Your daddy," he snarled, looking at Benvolio disgustedly "was and is an anti-Semitist. He used to steal my kippah and throw it down the stairwell or on top of the bike sheds. He used to make Hitler jokes, and then pretend to be a Nazi. He used to make fun of my family, and how I had to sometimes miss after school clubs on a Friday to get home for Shabbat on time. And once, he told my teacher I was too lazy help with a group project that we both had to work on, even though I tried to explain about Fridays and Saturdays being my holy days of rest. He used to laugh as I had to miss religious assemblies and sit on my own in the library. He mocked every tradition that I hold dear, every custom, every piece of faith wear, told me the Torah was a load of junk. I was heckled in the hallways, spat at, tripped up as I tried to walk down the corridors, had my stuff stolen, had names shouted at me, and I hated coming to school in the mornings. He ruined my life!"

The teenagers sat, stupefied.

Benvolio was the first to speak.

"I...I...I didn't know. I'm sorry. I understand, I've been bullied myself, by a boy called Gabriel. I'm not religious or anything like that, I'd never...I'm sorry. It's just...my dad's grown up since then, he..."

"No he hasn't!" snarled Shylock "He called my home a ghetto when he was coming to visit you and insulted my community. He deserves what's coming to him. I will have my bond, I will have my revenge, whether you like it or not!"

He slammed his fist on the table, making the cutlery bounce up.

"Any questions?" he looked around the table.

Mercutio waited a few moments, before blinking and opening his mouth wide.

"Did it hurt when you got circumcised?"

"OF COURSE IT FUCKING DID!" roared Shylock, storming out.


	36. The Second House Guest

Oreoskidz - I think Mercutio outdid himself on that!

Uh oh! The dinner party was a complete disaster, especially thanks to Mercutio. And now, we'll see the aftermath.

* * *

"What did you ask him that for?" exploded Benvolio.

"He was getting angry anyway" shrugged Mercutio "And I always wanted to know. Now I do"

"I think the answer was always pretty obvious, in fact, you didn't even need to ask" snapped Benvolio.

"The look on his face was funny though" snorted Mercutio.

"I bet he had enough of that in school...oh god, you don't really think my dad did all of those horrible things, do you?"

"Of course not. Your dad is nice. He's been good to us. He tried to take care of us all, and got himself in this mess" said Hermia "He paid for my ring"

"He was probably just trying to scare us" said Mercutio "Right, Allegra?"

"I don't know, Mercutio. I mean, you should take it seriously when people say they have been bullied. It can affect them in loads of ways and mess them up in the head..."

Mercutio reached down and wrapped his arms around her to comfort her. Allegra often told him of how her father had constantly called her stupid throughout her childhood and put her down, no matter what she did. He felt her lean her blonde head on his arm, and his heart melted.

"I'm going out" announced Benvolio, grabbing his wallet and keys from the side.

"Don't be long, I'm giving Eliseo a bath tonight and you know he likes it when you play with the squirty fish with him" said Hermia, kissing him on the cheek.

Benvolio stormed out, and Hermia turned to face Mercutio.

"Mercutio, go after him. I'm worried he'll do something rash"

"Benvolio, do something rash?" asked Mercutio.

"Well, you know what I mean!" scolded Hermia "You didn't help 'Oh, I drew a picture of Benvolio naked! Want to see?' Honestly, Mercutio! You embarrassed him. This was his only chance. In fact, you're lucky Norris the Llama hasn't gone out the window yet"

"It was never going to work. That man is crazy! No wonder Gabe the Babe is friends with him"

"Gabe the what?" asked Allegra.

"Babe" grinned Mercutio "He's a babe. Righty. I'm off Ben-ben-stalking"

Mercutio hopped out the house, and followed after his friend. Mercutio watched him drag his hands through his hair and pull at it, something he did when he was stressed. Benvolio twisted this way and that around the streets, and Mercutio shivered. It was cold now the sun had gone down, and neither of them had coats.

"Not so fast, Benny-boy!" Mercutio grabbed him.

"What do you want!" cried Benvolio, twisting away.

"A hug?"

"I don't want to hug you" snapped Benvolio "Asking him if it hurt...of course it fucking did! You shouldn't joke about stuff like that, guys are really sensitive about that!"

"Um, Benny said a naughty swearword!"

"Fuck! Shit! Cunt! Bollocks!" shouted Benvolio "There you go! Have a swearword"

Mercutio held his breath for a while, before bursting out with laughter. Benvolio held his breath for a while, and then he too burst out with laughter. He and Benvolio clutched each other as they laughed.

"Sorry" said Mercutio.

"It's ok"

"No, I mean it. It was insensitive. It's just, I was mad at him for saying that stuff about your dad. Your dad's all right! I mean, I know he favourites Beatrix sometimes and lets her obsess over Twilight all the time, but he wouldn't have done that! This is like, the 21st century, human beings are heading towards civilisation. In the Western world, we don't discriminate against religion anymore, unless you're some evil Nazi or something"

"I don't know, Mercutio, I don't know" sighed Benvolio. They leant over a wall, gazing down at the river. It was a deep midnight blue, and the moon glimmered up at them from it.

"Did he say stuff about Shylock when you were younger?"

"Just that Shylock was jealous of him. And he did make some Jew jokes, but they weren't bad. It was just like, you know, South Park humour"

"Perhaps he just didn't know better when he was a kid. Long time for them both to hold a grudge"

"Mercutio, you still prank call Tybalt when the feud ended, what, two years ago?"

"Yeah, but Tybalt's a dick head"

Benvolio shook his head "Right. I've got to think about what to do next. Reasoning with him didn't work. He's going to the courts to get his bond. I'm going to need a lawyer"

"How are you going to afford a lawyer?" asked Mercutio.

"I can't" admitted Benvolio.

* * *

"Not here, mate" grunted the police officer. Gabriel's eyes snapped open from where he had been resting on a pew.

"Oh...I'm so sorry. I'll just leave"

"You look young to be out like this" remarked his companion "How old are you?"

"I'm twenty" lied Gabriel, gathering his belongings and rubbing sleep out of his eyes.

"You don't look twenty. Are you sure?"

"Nineteen" Gabriel tried to hurry out, but one of them stopped him.

"Do you have any family you can call?"

"No. Please, let me go. I'm leaving already"

Gabriel barged past them, and headed back out into the night. The night was dead and cold, and he shivered on his way. Snooky continued to yowl at him, but Gabriel blocked it out. His mind was numb from tiredness, and he had barely enough sense when he banged into a group of yobs.

"Did you just hit me?" demanded the leader.

"Yes. Now get out of my way" snarled Gabriel. He refused to be intimidated by gangs. They thought they ruled the streets because they travelled in packs and scared old ladies? They didn't scare him.

"You talking to me?"

"Yes, I am talking to you. Now move!" commanded Gabriel.

"Oh, he's a cocky little lad. Or lady, should I say" sneered the leader.

"Or an 'it'" another of them laughed.

"Gender is more than what's on the outside and between the legs" hissed Gabriel. He tried to storm around them, but they shouted after him, catcalling and jeering. Gabriel turned back.

"Don't make me slap the smirk off your ugly face" he threatened.

"Oooh!"

"You heard me" hissed Gabriel. They continued to laugh, and so Gabriel went in for his favourite insult when speaking to chavs "At least I know who my father is!"

"Get him!"

Gabriel ran. Again. His legs were tiring. The rest and period of sleep in the church hadn't done much good, and he did not feel refreshed. They easily caught up with him. Gabriel used his suitcase to whack one to the floor, and then launched into a fight. He'd never been a good fighter, preferring psychological harm rather than physical, but he could defend himself with slaps and scratches. He was small and slender, and could duck from punches and squirm away.

"Put me down!" he hollered, as one picked him "Put me down, or I'll tell my father! You know who he is? He's Angelo Fulgencio, the Deputy of Verona! He'll have you rot in jail for the rest of your life! He'll sue the living backside off you!"

"Nice story, bro" chortled the gang leader "Has he got any money on him?"

"No, I'm broke" snapped Gabriel "So you've wasted your pointless life beating someone up, for nothing! You good for nothing low life shit!"

"All right, punch his face in!"

"Let me go!" howled Gabriel, struggling against the vicelike grip "Let me go!"

"Hey, you heard the lady! Put her down!" shouted a familiar voice. Gabriel was dropped, and landed awkwardly on the floor. He looked up, and Mercutio and Benvolio looked down "Oh, it's you"

"Thanks" breathed Gabriel "Thanks very much. Just what I wanted! To be humiliated in the streets! In front of Tin Grin and the freak. Although, which one is which I've never been able to tell"

"We did you a favour" protested Benvolio.

"Whatever" Gabriel tried to stand up, but he was faint from being mauled about. The lack of food, lack of water had taken it's toll, and he collapsed back down in the street. Mercutio and Benvolio watched him.

"Now what?" asked Benvolio.

"I guess we better take him home" shrugged Mercutio.

"I don't know what's gone on, but he has nowhere else to go, I guess" nodded Benvolio "Maybe we should call his dad. You take him, I'll take his stuff"

"Our second house guest tonight!" declared Mercutio, not so elegantly scooping the danseur up in a fireman's lift "Lucky us"


	37. Shylock's Anger

Maybetheawesome - They're very lucky boys indeed!

Cornadopia - Haha, I TOLD you Gabriel would be at their mercy. Also...I like Queen Mads. I sound like Queen Mab's sister!

A little bit from Shylock's point of view for this chapter. Quite a short one in comparison to others. Enjoy!

* * *

Shylock stormed down the cooling streets of Venice, absolutely fuming. Who did that bunch of students think they were? How dare they! How dare they!

That Benvolio kid was simply pathetic. He was everything that Gabriel had described him as – useless, pathetic, wimpy, non-confrontational, lacking in social skills, and with a striking resemblance to Bambi. And that fiancée of his...Hermia, was loud, gobby, obnoxious, blunt, and rude. As for Mercutio...Shylock was absolutely disgusted. He was supposed to be part of the royal family, wasn't he? And yet he was foul, rude, inappropriate and had asked him about a completely private and very personal matter. Shylock burned with rage and crossed his legs. That poor baby, Eliseo, and that poor girlfriend of Mercutio's. Hermia and Benvolio were terrible parents. The poor thing would be swearing by the time it was two. Anthony Montague spawn lived on.

He arrived home, ignoring the fact the door was unlocked due to his anger, and headed straight for his office.

Once there, he slumped at his desk, exhausted. The club was absolutely deserted, and it was deathly silent. Jessica was probably asleep. And so was Gabriel. Shylock did feel a twinge of pity, about locking him up, but he felt betrayed. He needed the support of his younger friend through this. But of course Gabriel would switch sides. He was a two-faced treacherous little brat, who scuttled around after people who would grant him the greatest amount of security, whether it was financial, emotional, or just a place to shelter in times of need.

Shylock sighed, feeling sleepy. He glanced around the room, as if to find a source of comfort in his possessions. If anything...his office looked a little messy, as if someone had rifled through it. He sat back up again, and opened a draw. The contents were stirred around. He opened his money cabinet. Thousands and thousands of Euros were missing. He yelled angrily.

"My money! Someone's stolen my money!"

He looked around the room.

"Jessica!"

Shylock stormed up the stairs, and looked in all the rooms. Jessica was nowhere to be found. The door to Gabriel's room was unlocked, and wide open. He too was nowhere to be found. Shylock searched through his room as well, only to find every single item of his stuff was missing. He'd packed up and left. Shylock stormed out, searching through the rooms again. Launcelot Gobbo had gone too. Shylock searched his room, and then continued to storm around the club.

"Jessica!" yelled Shylock "Where's my money gone?"

It soon dawned on him that his daughter too, had done a runner. Neither Gabriel nor Launcelot would have known Shylock's password to his money safe. Angrily, Shylock punched a wall. The little minx had let Gabriel out, broke into his safe, stolen his money, and done a runner with it. No doubt Gabriel and Launcelot would have been in on the plan and taken some as well.

Shylock slumped back down in his chair, and searched through his draw again, to look for his most precious and prized possession. His deceased wife's turquoise ring. That, he did not find either.

"She's taken that as well...the spoilt little cow! Leah gave that to me before we got married!" Shylock fumed. All exhaustion left him as he buzzed with anger. The anger that had been feasting on him since Anthony's appearance on the vaporetto those few weeks ago. Shylock knew what he wanted to do.

He was taking Anthony to court. Now he had nothing left to lose. His staff had disappeared, his daughter had betrayed him, and his money and his precious turquoise ring had been stolen.

Shylock picked up the phone, and dialled a number. Now Anthony would never get out of this one. If he was going down, he was taking Anthony with him. Shylock was entitled to one pound of flesh, _and he would get his revenge._


	38. An Unholy Alliance

Cornadopia - Hey! That sounds dirty! You've been reading too much Mercutio.

Maybetheawesome - I guess that's why Gabriel's friends with him!

Uh oh. Shylock's onto Anthony. As for our homeless chic, Gabriel, let's see what happens when he gets stuck at Benvolio's apartment!

* * *

"Oooh, he's waking up" observed Hermia, poking at Gabriel with a wet flannel. She twisted one end, so a stream of water trickled on his eyelids.

"Hey!" shrieked Gabriel, jerking upright.

"Rise and shine, poor little rich boy" sang Mercutio, bending over the sofa, so Gabriel was entreated to a full view of Mercutio's face.

"What are you doing?" yelped Gabriel "Soaking me?"

"Yeah. Because we don't like you" smiled Hermia.

"Where the hell am I?" asked Gabriel, looking around.

"At our apartment" replied Mercutio.

Gabriel wrinkled his nose "Well, that explains why it smells so bad"

"No. That's Eliseo's diaper. Benvolio's just changing it. God, I can't wait until he's potty trained! I'm going to dance in celebration"

Gabriel sat up, and rubbed his eyes. Snooky had made herself comfortable on an armchair. He could see through an open door Benvolio changing Eliseo's nappy in what was presumably their bedroom. Hermia and Mercutio had both been leaning over him, and Gabriel hoped they hadn't been tampering with his stuff. To his relief, his suitcase rested by the end of the sofa. That Allegra girl who'd started dating Mercutio last December was making a cup of tea.

"My God, she's put on weight" remarked Gabriel, earning him a slap in the face with the flannel from Mercutio "Oi!"

"Don't insult my Wally-wegra! Or you're out. And I know you don't have anywhere to go, and you don't have money, because we rung up Tybalt and he said you were homeless. We could have chucked you out in the street, but we're nice people, and so we've kept you. Plus, I want to interrogate you" swarmed Mercutio.

"Interrogate me?" frowned Gabriel "About what?"

"Shylock" said Mercutio, folding his arms "Your best friend, I believe"

"Not anymore. He's gone completely crazy. He's trying to kill Anthony. I tried to talk him out of it, but he wouldn't listen. He went mad and shut me in my room for twenty four hours, with no food, no water. I haven't had a shower in three days, and I stink like Tybalt before Rosaline turned him into a metrosexual"

Mercutio actually snorted "Well, if you tell us what's going on, I will give you full access to the bathing facilities in this apartment"

Gabriel looked almost offended "I was going to tell you anyway. I was going to warn you"

"You want to help us?" remarked Hermia.

"Well, yes. I mean, I'm friends with Shylock. He's been a father figure to me when Angelo has failed too. But murder is wrong. It won't make things better. It makes you as bad as the perpetrator"

"You've changed your tune! Last Christmas you and Tybalt decided to play soldiers and went after Demetrius with guns. And from what I've heard, you were actually going to kill him" said Hermia.

Gabriel glared at her "I suppose we were. But I've learnt my lesson. Demetrius is a disgusting, animalistic, warped and twisted sociopathic monster. I'm a human being, and will behave as such. Whilst he deserves to suffer and then die, us civilised people do not have to stoop to his level to be the ones to kill him"

Mercutio and Hermia shared glances.

Sensing the tenseness in his would-be sister, Mercutio shook his head "Whatever. Going back to Shylock. What does he want with one pound of Anthony's flesh?"

Gabriel shrugged "How should I know? I don't know what's going through his mind right now"

Benvolio walked out of his bedroom, Eliseo tucked under one arm. He stopped at the sight of Gabriel.

"What I want to know is" he said firmly, without backing down "Is it true?"

"What's true?" asked Gabriel.

"Is it true my dad did all those terrible things to him?" asked Benvolio.

Gabriel smiled "Aw, how cute. Daddy lied to baby Benny all his life. Yes. Of course it's true. Your dad is an anti-Semitist, and, if you'll pardon the sentiment, an ignorant bigoted bastard"

Mercutio whacked him with the wet flannel again. Gabriel squealed.

"Why is it, every time you come close to behaving in a way that might be perceived as likeable and socially acceptable, you go and act like a complete twat?" asked Hermia.

Gabriel glared at her "Well, it must be who I am. I'm not changing for anyone, whether they like me or not. It's your loss. If I may quote Marilyn Monroe, 'If you can't handle me at my worst, you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best' So there. Do I get to bath now?"

"Get out of my sight" instructed Mercutio "Oh, one thing" he turned around, bent over Gabriel's suitcase, and pulled out a silky lacy scrap of material "Does this belong to you or Amparo?"

"Give me that!" screamed Gabriel, lunging for his underwear "How dare you go through my things! How dare you! How very dare you!"

Hermia bent over to Allegra "This is even better than the time we hid Rosaline's make-up!"

After Gabriel disappeared into the bathroom, and the housemates heard the bath fill with water, they turned back to each other.

"Well, no information there so far" shrugged Mercutio.

"I bet we have to put up with him until Angelo turns up somehow or unless we can blackmail Rosaline into taking him back" said Hermia.

"Why don't we ring Angelo?" suggested Allegra.

"I don't know his number" replied Mercutio.

"I thought at the palace you had him, dad, Lord M and the others on speed dial" said Hermia.

"I wasn't allowed to use the telephone. Not after I used it to call the Duke of Mantua and tell him he'd left his buttplugs at the palace after his state visit"

"Mercutio!" groaned Benvolio as Hermia and Allegra fell on each other with laughter.

Mercutio grinned mischievously, and they heard Gabriel sigh as he sank into the bath.

"Do any of you have Amparo's number? We could call her to tell her to come and get rid of him for us" said Hermia.

"No. She's thirty three. Why would I be in contact with a thirty three year old who works at the government?" replied Mercutio.

"Thirty three...and he's eighteen? It's gross" groaned Hermia "Not to mention the fact her biological clock is probably ticking by now and if they want to reproduce, they better do it now. The idea of a mini Gabriel...urgh, I can just see it at nursery school with Eliseo. I bet it steals all the dressing up clothes and has tantrums when it can't play with the toys it wants too"

"Stop making me feel ill" instructed Mercutio.

"Eliseo's a year older. He wouldn't have to go to nursery with it. And we're living here in Venice. Gabriel and Amparo live in Verona. No contact" explained Benvolio.

"Good" said Hermia "I bet he sticks the poor kid in pointe shoes before it can walk"

"I can hear you, you know!" called Gabriel "And no, I'd never do that to my child. Children are not colouring books – you can't shade them in the way you want them to be. I'd fully support my children and be one hundred percent behind them, no matter what they want out of life!"


	39. The Interrogation Of Gabriel

Maybetheawesome - Ah, but Benvolio's such a pushover and such a sweet sympathetic person, he won't! Glad you liked the chapter.

Cornadopia - Nooo! He wouldn't stoop that low. You're welcome for the review.

Haha, they're stuck with Gabriel! Now, for some fun.

* * *

Three hours later, Gabriel was out of the bath, and applying new nail varnish to his finger nails. Hermia and Allegra were just...looking at him strangely. He owned and wore more make-up, jewellery and clothes than both of them combined. Whilst they could probably beat him in a nail varnish competition (Allegra was experimenting with a metallic green nail varnish, whilst Hermia was wearing her favourite sparkly purple) it still amazed them. But then, Hermia thought, he was related to Rosaline, resident fashionista.

"How do I look?" asked Gabriel, turning around to face them "Better? I know I have bruising from the past few days, but I've left the make-up off those parts so they can heal without irritation from the chemicals. I try to use natural make-up for sensitive skin that hasn't been tested on animals, but it's just not always colourful enough or the shade I need, so I have to use more chemically ones. I mean, I wanted-"

"Ok, we've heard enough about your beauty, or should I say, ugly regime" interrupted Mercutio "I'll start. Why are you in Venice?"

"I lost my job at La Scala" sighed Gabriel "It wasn't my fault. Another dancer stitched me up for something I didn't do to get me out because I was better than him and therefore a threat to his career"

"Why were you with Shylock?" asked Benvolio.

"Because he's my friend. He used to own a club in Verona, and I used to go there to drink and dance. Sometimes I'd perform, hoping to make my name like Madonna and Lady Gaga did"

"What did Shylock say to you about my dad?" asked Benvolio.

"He said he used to bully him, and say anti-Semitic stuff to him" replied Gabriel.

"Did you hear Shylock making any plans to start this revenge scheme?" asked Mercutio.

"I gave him the idea" mumbled Gabriel.

"You told him to ask for one pound of flesh!" interrupted Hermia.

"No! I just told him to get some revenge. But I didn't mean it like that, I just meant he should do something silly, like, find out why he started dating all those different women less than a year after his wife died and then blackmail him with it. I thought it was just a silly psycho prank when he told me. I didn't realise he was serious!"

"You wanted to find out about the girlfriends?" gasped Benvolio.

"It was just a joke" said Gabriel.

"The grieving process is not funny!" snapped Benvolio.

"I know! I cried for a week when my tarantula died, and Angelo just laughed at me" Gabriel snapped back.

"Right. What else did Shylock do?" asked Mercutio.

"He used to ring his friend Tubal up and say about his revenge" added Gabriel "That's when I overheard him and tried to talk him out of it"

"You tried to talk him out of it?" asked Benvolio.

"Well yes. Your dad might be an asshole, but two wrongs don't make a right! I should know" sighed Gabriel, rubbing the part of his stomach where he had accidently shot his brother-in-law. Mercutio regarded him with a critical eye, so Gabriel went on "I told him he was better than your dad, that he didn't have to stoop to his level. But he went ballistic, and then he grabbed me, dragged me up the stairs, and shut me in my room"

"Yes, we get the picture. He shut you in your room. Boohoo. But right now, your troubles aren't that significant. We want to know information about what he's said about Anthony, or what he plans to do to him" interrupted Hermia.

"Well, he used to discriminate him for being Jewish-"

"We know!"

"But you don't get how bad it was!" protested Gabriel "He spat at him once. Unprovoked. And he stole his kippah. Imagine if someone...stole your bible"

"I don't have a bible" said Benvolio.

"Me neither" added Mercutio.

"Nor me" shrugged Allegra "None of us are particularly religious"

"I have a bible, and it's called 'The Dangerous Book For Boys'" said Hermia.

"Well, imagine someone stole it. How would you feel towards them?" asked Gabriel.

"Cross" said Hermia.

"No, no! Be more dramatic. Say...Tybalt barged in your room, called you a bastard, broke your stuff and punched you. What would you want to do to Tybalt?" asked Gabriel.

"Hit him with a wooden mallet with rusty nails poking out" replied Hermia.

"Exactly!"

"I wouldn't hit Tybalt with a wooden mallet with rusty nails poking out. I'd get arrested. That's why Shylock is a nutter" said Hermia.

Gabriel rolled his eyes, irritated he couldn't get across the message "All right. I tried to shoot Demetrius. Would you say my reasons were justified?"

"Yes" snapped Benvolio.

"Well then! I can tell you what I was feeling that night. Angry, driven, filled with burning revenge, a growing hatred that feasted on my anger. That's how Shylock feels. He doesn't know what he's doing. He feels justified. He isn't a bad man, no matter what you say. We just need to..." Gabriel faltered.

"Reason with him? We tried that. It didn't work, because Mercutio asked him if it hurt when he got-" Benvolio broke off to make a scissor hand notion with the hand that wasn't holding Eliseo. Mercutio giggled helplessly.

Gabriel shook his head "I'm not going to start that debate. But that was really offensive. See – you hurt and ridiculed and offended his religion and him. He probably thinks his revenge is justified in his mind right now. He's not well. I tried to explain to him that he could be the better person by not reacting, by Goddess, I should know, but he just got angry. Oh, what do we do, what do we do..." he lamented.

"Well, if there's no breaking through to him, we still need to save my dad" Benvolio continued "Shylock threatened to drag my dad though the courts. I don't know much about law, maths is my field, but it looks like the bond is legal and he's entitled to it. So what should we do?"

"You could...get your dad to have a tummy tuck and give Shylock the extra fat" suggested Gabriel.

"He works out. He doesn't have fat. And that's just plain weird!" dismissed Benvolio.

"Well then, tell your dad to...run away" suggested Gabriel.

"Some of us aren't cowards" Mercutio glared at him.

"Then pay for a really good lawyer"

"I can't afford one, and dad won't accept any money from anyone" replied Benvolio.

"Well, I don't know how to help" Gabriel threw his hands up in the air, so that a single silver bangle slid up and down his wrist.

"Then you're out" said Mercutio.

"I don't have any money either" protested Gabriel "And I would help. If I could. Somehow. I can be clever sometimes. Angelo once said I would be a good politician. I told him to curl up and die, but I'm a Capricorn, and that was listed as a possible career choice in my Astroprofile. It didn't mention dancing though"

"You failed all your A Levels" scoffed Hermia.

"No I didn't" replied Gabriel "They weren't my real A Levels"

"What are you talking about?" frowned Benvolio "We were across the room from you when you opened them"

"Yeah, those were the fake ones" Gabriel smiled widely "I called it the Fake Levels trick. Want to hear how I did it?"

"Go on" sighed Allegra.

"Ok, so I told Angelo we'd need to get to school at half past ten, not ten, as we were meant too. At ten, Amparo dropped me off, where I picked up and opened my real ones with her. Then, she drove me back home, where I pretended to Angelo I'd come back from the shop buying cigarettes. He drove me back to school. I went in again, came out again, and in my pocket, the whole time, had been a replicate of the sheet where your results are typed, with the Fake Levels on. I came out, told Angelo I had them, and I opened them in a cafe, which is where you guys saw me! Angelo thinks I have four Us in Government and Politics, History, Law and English Literature, when in reality, I have an A* in Drama and Psychology, and an A in Music and Media Studies! I have better qualifications than Rosaline!" cackled Gabriel.

The other four just looked at each other.

"But why, would you do that?" asked Allegra.

"Because I lied to Angelo about what subjects I was taking. I've done this for two years. And I knew that if he saw what I'd really been taking, he'd flip and tell me they aren't real subjects. And if I typed in my real results to the fake subjects, he'd try and apply to universities for me, then the truth would come out. He just thinks I'm a massive failure and doesn't care about me anymore. And good" said Gabriel.

"You are...mental" said Mercutio "And that's coming from me!"


	40. Crazy Boy

Maybetheawesome - Yes! The irony of it all!

Cornadopia - Hehehe, it would be fun to watch. Tybalt-baiting!

So, Gabriel has officially taken up residence in the Montague-Capulet-Vincentino compound! But has he finally learnt from his ways and tried to start being nice, or is he just being weird and annoying?

* * *

"He's still here" growled Hermia to Benvolio as they brushed their teeth.

"I know, I know" sighed Benvolio "He's completely mad. Totally mad. And I'm best friends with Mercutio!"

"Faking your own A Levels? Jeez, he's bonkers! And my aunt is a manic depressive" added Hermia.

"In remission. She's gotten better. Now Tybalt's behaving himself" said Benvolio.

"True" Hermia spat out some paste, and wiped her face "What are we going to do about your dad?"

"I still have no clue" Benvolio sighed again "He called me, and told me Shylock has contacted the courts. It's going to be ugly, I know it. I hate it when there's one group up against another like this"

"I know" Hermia sympathised "But it will be ok. We'll get through it. You've got me, right?"

Benvolio managed to smile "Yeah"

There was a thump at the door.

"Hurry up! I need to put my night cream on!" called Gabriel.

"I'm going to hit him" muttered Hermia.

"Don't" urged Benvolio.

"Him bringing up Demetrius...that was completely different. He should know how I feel hearing that name"

"There, there. I know. It's all over now. I'm here" soothed Benvolio. He spat out the last of the paste, and wiped his face "Come on then. Eliseo will be wondering where we are. We can leave Draco Malfoy to his beauty regime"

"Draco Malfoy?" spluttered Hermia.

"Well, yes. Pale blond hair, psychological bully, and he practises magic"

Hermia snorted into her hand, and they filtered out.

"Finally. You were twenty minutes" grumbled Gabriel.

"Twenty minutes? You were three fricking hours!" cursed Hermia.

"Yes, but I care about my appearance, and I'd just spent the night roughing it on the streets. Neither of you look like you care much about the way you look, so you should be quick, shouldn't you, Tonks and Lupin?"

Hermia and Benvolio both ignored him, and shut their bedroom door. Eliseo was sound asleep, curled under a gentle green blanket. He clutched his favourite fluffy duck in one hand and the blanket in the other. His tiny little eyelashes fluttered as he slept, and his dummy wobbled.

"Bless him" murmured Hermia, peering over.

"I still can't get over the fact I have a baby. I just can't believe...he's ours. I don't mean it as in we're a pair of kids, but I mean...he's so perfect. I can't believe we made him and he belongs to us"

"I get you" Hermia replied, readjusting the toys at the head of his cot so Eliseo had space to move. She crawled under their duvet, and watched Benvolio gently kiss him on his curls. He turned to face her. Hermia smiled, and patted his side of the bed. Benvolio threw back the covers and joined her "I never imagined I'd have children"

"Me neither. I've always quite liked them, but I never felt like I'd get to have my own. Especially not after the Rose drama. I just felt like my one chance at a relationship had been blown"

Hermia rested her head on his shoulder "The stupid bitch didn't deserve you. I never imagined having children, because I never thought I could settle down. I liked doing wild things, and I just figured I spend life doing crazy risky things, messing around, getting into trouble, being as un-Capulet-like as I could be"

"You got knocked up. That was un-Capulet-like"

"You did the knocking up"

"True"

"How many children do you want to have?" asked Hermia.

Benvolio thought for a moment "Three"

"Why three?"

"Three's a good number. And also...let's wait a good few years between them. It was a war zone in my house as Beatrix and I used to fight for things all the time. My parents didn't dare have more"

Hermia rolled over, so Benvolio could wrap his arms around her waist and clutch her tightly, so they resembled two spoons in a draw. They both closed their eyes, and drifted off to sleep. Until...

"How DARE you!"

Benvolio jolted awake.

"You have no right to call me a bad boyfriend! I was devoted to you. I was better than any other boys I know, who just use their girlfriends for sex. I cared about your personality from day one. So maybe I called you fat once. You called me anorexic. What was I supposed to do? Lie back and cry and let you hurt me in such a way? And anyway, I'm not here to talk to you. I don't want to talk to you, you make me sick. I want to talk to Portia!"

"Why is Gabriel on the phone at...one am in the morning?" groaned Benvolio. Eliseo had started to snuffle, and so Hermia crawled out of bed to tend to him. Benvolio crawled out into the living room, to find the lights on, Gabriel standing in the middle of the room, clutching the house phone to his ear, his eyes a wild passion of fury.

"What are you doing?" demanded Benvolio "It's one am!"

"Shut up!" hissed Gabriel, turning to him, before turning back to the phone "No, you heard me. I want to talk to Portia. Your housemate. I don't care about you. I haven't cared about you since the 16th March, 2011, 10pm, 34 minutes past the hour. Put me on the phone to Portia, right now!"

"What are you doing?" Benvolio demanded louder.

Gabriel pressed the phone to his chest "Getting you a lawyer!" he snapped.

"It's one am!" yelled Benvolio "My son is asleep in the other room. Your screeching woke us up. Mercutio and Allegra will be awake before long. Why are you calling people at one am? Why aren't you asleep, like everyone else?"

"I'm an insomniac, I don't sleep" snapped Gabriel.

"Well, that explains a lot" Benvolio grumbled "Put the phone down"

"No!" Gabriel put it back to his ear "Yes, get Portia. She'll be fine with knowing I called. What? No! Don't hang up, you bitch!"

He pulled the phone away.

"She hung up"

"Of course she hung up!" exploded Benvolio "It's one am! Night time! She was probably asleep. Like the rest of us were, until you started messing around with the phone. What were you doing?"

"I just said, I was getting you a lawyer" Gabriel hissed "Why is it, every time I try and do something nice, it just gets thrown back in my face with insults? I should just stop bothering"

"Because calling people at one am, is not nice!" Benvolio shouted "Couldn't it have waited until morning?"

"No! I'd have forgotten! I wanted it to be a surprise! And anyway, I was lying on the sofa, just thinking, when it came to me"

"What came to you? And who is this lawyer?"

"Portia Belmont!" Gabriel exclaimed triumphantly "You remember her, don't you? She was friends with Rose. You may not have realised, she was the one on the phone. I remember her mobile number like it was yesterday. I rung her to ask if I could speak to Portia, to ask her if she would represent your dad"

"Portia isn't even a lawyer, she's a law student!"

"So was Elle Woods, and she saved Brooke Windham from going to jail in Legally Blonde. I love that movie" said Gabriel.

Benvolio almost wanted to bang his head against the wall "What are you – some twisted guy version of my sister?"

"How DARE you! I hate Twilight! I have good taste!" shrieked Gabriel. Benvolio heard Eliseo start to wail, and Hermia murmur.

"You used to call me the freak, but that's you" spat Benvolio "Go back to sleep. In the morning, you're out of here. And that is final!"

Gabriel glared at him "Fine. Try not to wet your sheets"


	41. A Lawyer For Anthony

Maybetheawesome - Ha, even I'd kick him out, and I'm the girl writing him! But I suppose not before I made him lend me his cool stuff.

So, weirdo Gabriel has rung someone up in the middle of the night and freaked out his hosts. The first song he sings, 'It's Only A Paper Moon' is a reference to my favourite non-Shakespeare play, A Streetcar Named Desire, as Gabriel reminds me of the character Blanche DuBois. The second song 'Marry The Night' is a song that reminds me of him throughout this story, and would probably be on the soundtrack if this was a movie.

* * *

"I didn't hear a thing" confessed Mercutio, as he and Benvolio sat on his bed the next morning.

"You wouldn't. You were too busy with Queen Mab"

Mercutio beamed at the mention of his favourite fairy "True. I like dreams. I keep a dream journal. Want to read the one about the giant jelly house?"

"I'm fine, actually" Benvolio glanced up at the 'flying cow' thing that was attached to Mercutio's ceiling and currently rotating in the air "Did Allegra wake up?"

"Nope. She was cuddled up to me all night. We just slept through it. That boy is really weird. And this is coming from me"

Benvolio shook his head "He's in the bath again, isn't he?"

"_It's a Barnum and Bailey world, just as phoney as it can be. But it wouldn't be make-believe, if you believed in me!"_ sang Gabriel.

Mercutio hammered on the wall opposite the bathroom "Shut up! You aren't Madonna – you sound like Justin Bieber!"

"No I don't!"

Benvolio sighed "I think we ought to call Rose and Portia and apologize, don't you?"

"No" scoffed Mercutio "Gabriel rung them. Gabriel can apologize"

"It was our phone. What if they ring the police to report our number for harassment? We could get into even bigger trouble than we already are. I can't be dealing with it"

"No, they won't! Remember when we used to call Tybalt all the time? He never bothered calling the police"

"No. You're right. He didn't. He just used to hold my head down the toilet and flush it" replied Benvolio sarcastically.

"Because you let him catch you"

Benvolio shook his head angrily, and stormed out Mercutio's room, to discover Hermia holding onto Allegra, who looked like she was about to be sick.

"Allegra, are you all right?" asked Benvolio.

"She's going to be sick" explained Hermia "But he's in there. I told him to hurry up, but he's 'just rubbing the conditioner in!'"

Benvolio grabbed a bowl from under the sink, and shoved it Allegra's way. She turned her back to him as he winced. He'd never liked sick.

"She's not actually being sick, though, is she?" called Gabriel "I thought you were bluffing, to disturb me from my nice, hot bath. I'll just..."

"You stay there, Gabriel, and play at being Cleopatra, Queen of the Nile, a little longer" snapped Benvolio. He grabbed the house phone, and began to search through the recent numbers dialled.

"There, there" said Hermia gently "This stomach bug will be over soon. It's probably just one of those twenty four hour things. And we have got Draco Malfoy in the house. Not all of us are immune to him"

"I'm not Draco Malfoy!"

"It will pass" groaned Allegra "I feel better now I've...chucked it all up and got it out my system. Here, I'll wash it in the sink. Ugh"

"I remember when I used to toss up when I was expecting Eliseo. I always thought it was a hangover, since it started during the summer and we were all going out and getting pissed every night"

"This is a really nice conversation" said Benvolio "I'm just going to ring someone, so can you all be quiet for a few moments?"

"_I'm gonna marry the night, I won't give up on my life. I'm a warrior queen, live passionately tonight!"_ Gabriel sang again.

"Urgh" groaned Benvolio, pressing the phone to his ear as he stepped into his bedroom.

"Hello?" asked a familiar voice.

"Hi" said Benvolio.

"Who is this?"

"It's me, Benvolio"

"Oh. Hi Benvolio"

"Hi Rose"

"Hi"

Benvolio cleared his throat "Look, um, did you get a call last night from this number?"

"Yes. It was Gabriel"

"Oh. Ok. Well, I just rung to apologize about it"

"Oh. Really?"

"Yes, um, I had no idea what he was doing. And I had no idea he would ring you at one am in the morning. He's singing stupid songs in the bath right now, which is why I rung you to say sorry"

"Why is Gabriel at your house?"

"It's a long story" sighed Benvolio "It's kind of mixed up with why he called. We need a lawyer and he's homeless"

"Gabriel is homeless? But his dad is rich"

"I know. Gabriel won't contact him, so we're just stuck with him and his stupid petty ways. My...sister-in-law, let's call her, was sick just now. And guess what? He's in the bath, calm as you please, singing 'It's Only A Paper Moon' and 'Marry The Night' whilst she's hurling her guts out into a bowl outside the door"

"Nice" remarked Rose.

Benvolio coughed, to ease the awkward silence "So, um, yeah, I'm sorry"

"What do you need the lawyer for, anyway?" asked Rose.

"Long story" sighed Benvolio again "My dad's in debt, and this guy is threatening to kill him because he used to discriminate him for being Jewish"

"Your dad wouldn't do that. I thought he was nice. Strict, sometimes, but a decent guy underneath"

"Yeah, well, I was pretty shocked myself"

"Are you ok, though? You have a son now, right? I heard from Juno, who's Gabriel's old best friend, who's also Lysander's cousin, about it all. And when you came running over to mine last December, the night he was born. Did everything turn out ok?"

"Yes, I have a son. Everything turned ok for Hermia. They were both fine. He's beautiful, my baby"

"That's good. Congratulations, I guess"

"Thanks"

"Is he cute? Does he look like you?"

"Yeah, yeah, he does actually. He has my hairline, and my hair colour, and my eyes. Although, when he gets cross and scrunches up his face, he looks like my dad"

"He is going to be all right, isn't he? Because, if you really do need a lawyer, maybe Portia could help out. After all, it's eleven am. A reasonable time"

"Actually" said Benvolio, slowly. Maybe Gabriel hadn't been so mad about getting a law student to help out. After all, they'd be happier to work for free, to gain the experience so they could whack it on a CV. All the supposed 'adults' had just made things worse – they'd got them into this situation in the first place! And he remembered what a nice girl Portia was. The only thing that was really mad about the situation was Gabriel's idea to ring them in the middle of the night. But then, Gabriel did say he was an insomniac. And most students stayed up late anyway. Benvolio went to bed early because of Eliseo. He needed all the rest he could get – but other students didn't go to bed until four.

"Actually, Rose, I'd really like that"


	42. Not Happy This Way

Maybetheawesome - Gabriel would love to hear that you imagine him sounding like Madonna! That's how I imagine him too, and looking a little bit like her. I am a massive fan of her, and I passed my obsession with on her into his character.

Cornadopia - Teehee, I had all the HP references planned all along! Hope you've enjoyed camping (yuck)

Haha, Gabriel's hosts are not impressed! But at least they have a lawyer. I know the logics behind it are kind of shitty, but I've just decided to fudge it for the sake of the story. The real Merchant probably wouldn't make much sense in a modern setting either anyway.

* * *

That night, Benvolio once again lay in bed. This time, the house was deathly silent. Gabriel was not on the phone, nor was he singing. To his side, Hermia snoozed quietly, and Eliseo slept peacefully in his crib. Tonight, it wasn't noise that kept Benvolio awake, but worry.

He'd always been a worry guts. He didn't like being in trouble, he didn't like being in the wrong, he didn't like upsetting people, he didn't like being angry. Unfortunately for Benvolio, he'd been born into a raging feud, and trouble always just seemed to follow him wherever he went.

'_At least the feud was over'_ he thought, looking over at Hermia sleeping by his side. A few years ago, he would have been too scared to socialise or exchange any pleasantries with her in case she'd stab him or something (although, of course she never would have done)

But that didn't solve the Shylock drama. Benvolio couldn't believe his dad had been so wicked. He couldn't understand why anyone would treat anyone that way, just because they were different. Benvolio was a pacifist, and a humanist. To him, it was outrageous that his own father, the man who had raised him single-handedly since he was ten, would have done something that was the very core of the things Benvolio despised. He'd known his dad wasn't perfect – the occasional South Park-esque joke was cracked too many times during his childhood, but Benvolio had just dismissed it. He was friends with Mercutio, who said much ruder things anyway.

But at least Mercutio didn't discriminate.

Benvolio rose, and padded out of his room, and towards the bathroom, intending to go to toilet. Gabriel was not in the living room or the kitchen, but there was a blanket thrown over the sofa. Benvolio gently pushed against the handle, and gasped.

Gabriel sat sobbing on the floor, a bottle of vodka sitting beside him.

"What on earth are you doing now?" hissed Benvolio.

"I'm crying, Benvolio. That's what the wet stuff on my cheeks is" retorted Gabriel sarcastically. He grabbed the vodka bottle and waved it drunkenly at Benvolio "And getting so pissed I won't even remember my own name. And good"

"Why? And that's Mercutio's booze. He'll get mad if he can't make vodka jelly tomorrow"

"Who cares? My needs are greater" snivelled Gabriel, scrubbing at his face with some loo roll.

"What needs? What's going on?"

"You know what's going on. Shylock!" A fresh set of tears burst from Gabriel's eyes "He's my best friend, and he's turned into..."

"A monster" said Benvolio.

"No, not a monster!" cried Gabriel "He's a good man. A kind man. He looked after me when I needed someone. When Angelo was being a twat and telling me to make stupid college plans, Shylock told me which clubs I needed to perform in to make my name known, helped me meet the right people. Even if it didn't work, he'd be there to pick me up and dust me off. And when I was thrown out La Scala, who took me in and gave me a place to stay and a job? He did. But because of your wanker of a dad, he's lost. I don't have any friends. You and Hermia are right. I'm Draco Malfoy"

"Well, surely someone likes you. You've got Amparo" said Benvolio, sitting down beside him.

"Yeah, and I'm stuck here, with no money to get out, no way of contacting her, no ways of contacting anyone to come and get me. I haven't rung her in days. She'll be worried. I made her promise not to talk to Angelo, but if she has then I don't know what I'll do. That's another reason I'm crying. My life is in ruins. I have no job and no home. I'm stuck here, with a bunch of people who hate me!"

"I don't hate you" said Benvolio "I just...don't appreciate the nasty things you do"

"It's not my fault!" moaned Gabriel "Angelo always said there was something wrong with me. But it wasn't my fault. I can't fight. I don't like to fight. I always lose. I'm a fricking ballerina. Whenever people upset me, I couldn't fight back like the other boys. And living in Verona, there were always fights and whatnot. I couldn't fight, so I had to get people psychologically before it was _my_ face that was pressed in the mud"

"That explains a lot" said Benvolio.

"I told you this once, when we were locked in a jail cell. There's more, you know"

"Well, go on"

"Everyone judges me! Because I like skirts and girly things and I'm supposed to be a boy. Every time I meet someone new, I just know they will find a way to make fun of me"

"Well, I don't care if you want to wear a skirt or do something girly" said Benvolio "It's your life and your choice. I mean, it would be hypocritical of me. I once wore drag to get into a party at the Capulets" he admitted sheepishly, going red in the dark "And my fiancé likes combat trousers and Doc Martens. Me and Mercutio really don't care if you want to do that stuff"

"But the other boys do! Tybalt's friends hated me on sight. I just knew they'd hate me. They only tolerated me because he told them too. Simon thinks I'm a freak. I have to judge people first, before they judge me" Gabriel slumped against the bath, and took a gulp of Mercutio's vodka "But not...not Shylock"

"When did you meet?" asked Benvolio.

Gabriel smiled "When I was thirteen. I was the only boy in the ballet class, and once you get around that age, that's when all the girls who aren't serious about it and just do it for fun drop out. I was left in a class of about six or seven, and we became close as a group of friends, including our teacher. Our ballet teacher used to chat about the places he went to in the evening. He was as gay as a pink unicorn with rainbow striped hair, and used to go to all these awesome clubs, where you could be free and just dance, whoever you were. I always wanted to go, so one night, I snuck out the house, past Angelo, and found out where he went. There were no bouncers, and I always looked older. It was the most amazing place in the world. I danced and danced, and then I wanted a drink. I got to know Shylock there, and became one of the regulars. I also started smoking, although I wish I hadn't. I met him, and he was like the dad I never had. We got on well. We'd had the same experiences. He'd been through a lot of what I was going through. When Angelo dragged some random sisters in my life, it was him I could bitch to and he gave me advice. So, I got older, and started performing on my own. And no, I didn't strip, as Hermia claimed. It was only if I wore a jacket, I'd take it off. I'd just dance and enjoy seeing how I entertained people. And the people! Shylock introduced me to such cool people. I met this truly awesome animal rights activist during the first few times I went, and it enlightened me so much I became vegetarian. Because of Shylock, I had the best time in the world"

"I see" murmured Benvolio quietly.

"He's good to talk to. He's really interesting. We could talk about faith things and no one would get upset. That was enlightening. He even thought it was funny when I photoshopped Angelo's head onto Hitler. He'd tell me stuff about Angelo when he was in school. Angelo never had time to tell me himself, you see" Gabriel sighed, and put down the bottle.

"And, so my dad just...ruined that. Made him completely driven to revenge"

"Yeah. But it's not just him. See what bullying does?"

Benvolio stiffened "Funny how I'm not asking for a pound of your flesh" he barked.

Gabriel startled "Oh?"

"Wet-Bed-Volio" growled Benvolio "And Tin Grin. You started those, remember?"

Gabriel hiccupped "I told you how I thought everyone judged me. I didn't know. I'm so sorry for being so mean to you. Now I see the consequences of what it can do to people. I'm so so sorry!"

"It's ok" replied Benvolio calmly.

"I don't know how to make it up to you" Gabriel whimpered. He crawled forwards, and wrapped his arms around Benvolio, sobbing onto his shoulder. Benvolio almost recoiled. Gabriel's breath reeked of alcohol, and Benvolio wasn't even sure if he should trust him being so close. Gabriel gulped and took in a breath "Hey...I could give you a makeover!"

"What?"

"A makeover! Yes! To make you more confident. I could really work some magic on you, you know. I could sort out your hair. It's kind of messy but if you use conditioner and comb it through rather than brush it, it could emphasize those natural curls of yours"

"What?"

"And then, I could get some dye, and do some highlights, like, um, some lighter shades of brown so that it brings out your eyes. There isn't much I can do for your eyes, especially with those ugly glasses, but I suppose you could get contacts. And we could go shopping, and I could show what sort of clothes to buy. You've got a great ass, you need to show it off more"

Benvolio shuffled away "That's really nice of you, Gabriel, but I'm quite happy the way I am"

Gabriel sighed disappointedly. Giving people makeovers and entertaining them, whether it was by dancing or singing, was his way of showing affection. Superficial it was, but in truth, Gabriel now realised, he was the socially retarded one. And, for all the bad air and insults, Benvolio and Mercutio had taken him in. Like Shylock, the boys had accepted him when his own family had turned their backs.

"You should go back to bed. I know you're an insomniac, but maybe you should rest. You'll have a killer hangover in the morning. And we should clean this place up. In case someone needs the loo and finds toilet roll all over the floor and empty vodka bottles. I won't tell Mercutio where his alcohol supply went, either"

Benvolio helped Gabriel to his feet. Gabriel swayed dangerously, and so Benvolio led him to the sofa, where he sat him back down. Gabriel was snoring within minutes, and so Benvolio sorted out the bathroom, and then returned to Hermia.


	43. Portia's Arrival

Maybetheawesome - Mercutio would ask for a manicure!

Cornadopia - Hahaha! You know, they remind me of Elphaba and Glinda from Wicked! At least you enjoyed it. I hate camping with a passion.

So, FINALLY, Gabriel has apologized to Benvolio. Wonder how he's going to feel now he's waking up. I've actually finished writing the story now, and it looks like I have about 17 or 18 chapters left to post.

* * *

"_Ain't nobody got a body like Mercutio. Everybody wants a body like Mercutio. Drive you crazy because my name is Mercutio. Ain't nobody got a body like Mercutio!"_

"Urgh" groaned Gabriel "My head"

He heard the sound of the shower thundering, and Mercutio singing loudly.

"Arrogant, much?" he heard Hermia ask, somewhere in the distance.

"Oooh, Draco's awake" said Allegra.

"Hey, no more nicknames" dismissed Benvolio "I had to stop Mercutio drawing the Dark Mark on his arm this morning"

Gabriel moaned "What's going on today?"

"Today?" asked Benvolio "Well, Portia will be arriving, to discuss with my dad and I about how we are going to get out of this"

"Portia?" frowned Gabriel.

"Yes. I rung Rose back, to apologize about the call at one am, and Portia has agreed to take the case on. Portia's housemates are coming to Venice as well. As a little break before term starts. Which is getting closer and closer, by the way" said Benvolio, glancing at the calendar "But look, you don't even have to be here. You can go out with Allegra and Hermia. Allegra has a lesson at La Fenice, but afterwards, they're going shopping. I thought you might like that"

Gabriel beamed "Of course! La Fenice is a beautiful place! I have yet to go there. Can I come inside with you? And look around? And meet famous people?"

Both girls rolled their eyes. Eliseo was tucking into his breakfast, fed to him by Hermia. Gabriel slowly sat up, the light panging into his eyeballs and exploding into fireworks even when he closed them. Urgh...he was never going to a whole bottle of vodka on his own again.

"Take these" said Benvolio, handing him a glass of water and two aspirins. Gabriel took them with little persuasion, and threw the blanket over his head. An hour later, he emerged, dressed and brushed his hair, before following Allegra and Hermia out into the streets. As he did so, he soon realised that it was the first time since he left Shylock's that he had been out at all.

Meanwhile, Benvolio straightened the cushions, and scolded Mercutio for taking so long in the shower and wasting the hot water, even if it was to wind up Gabriel. Anthony arrived a little while later, and Benvolio greeted him with a hug, albeit a very stiff one. Anthony did not seem to notice.

Portia arrived shortly after. She looked exactly as Benvolio had remembered her, but it was who was with her who made his heart pound.

She had brought Nerissa, her closest friend. Desdemona, who was house-sharing with her at Padua University, and who had offered to put them up at her Venetian home, was with her as well. But that was not all. Rose was here.

Benvolio hadn't seen her since December, when he had gone stumbling to her house in the middle of the night for information on Demetrius. By then, they'd been apart for over two years. Now it was three years, and for Rose and Gabriel, they had been apart for one year. Benvolio wondered how his old love rival would take it, seeing her once again. Especially after what he had screamed down the phone at her the other night. He couldn't imagine it would be a pretty sight.

"Portia" greeted Benvolio "Thank you so much for coming"

"My pleasure, Benvolio. I'll always help out an old friend in need. Now. How can I help?"

Benvolio swallowed, and then began to recount his story, beginning with the broken telly and the discovery of his father's descent into bankruptancy. He told of her of the strange loan, and the freaky bond, and then Anthony's forfeit. When he finished, he could almost feel Portia's wince.

"Why would anyone do that?" Portia asked.

"I have no idea" admitted Benvolio, knowing that Anthony was beside him, and that now was not the right time to bring up Anthony's reported anti-Semitism.

"Do you have a court date?" asked Portia.

Anthony told her.

"So, I suppose I better get to work" she smiled "I'm positive we can sort this out. Anthony, do you have any reasons why he might be doing this?"

'_Just that he's an anti-Semitist'_ Benvolio bit his lip, sharing a glance with Mercutio. They knew each other well enough so that by sharing a glance, Mercutio knew that Benvolio didn't want to mention it.

"Just that he was jealous of me in high school" shrugged Anthony "Idiot"

"High school" nodded Desdemona "Everything happens in high school"

"Tell me about it" muttered Rose. Benvolio just looked at her, unsure of what to do.

"Is it all right if I leave to go the train station?" asked Anthony "I have to meet my daughter. Benvolio, I forgot to mention, Beatrix is coming to Venice for a little bit. Is there room for her to stay here?"

Rose giggled, remembering Benvolio's awful twin sister.

"Of course" lied Benvolio "Only, she'll have to share the sofa with Gabriel. Or sleep in Eliseo's spare cot in the spare room"

"Gabriel?" frowned Anthony.

"Yeah. He's homeless. He's staying here" Benvolio waved over at Gabriel's suitcase, where Snooky napped on top.

"And he's driving us nuts. Half my alcohol supply is missing. I bet he drank it, because Benvolio doesn't drink, Hermia can't drink because she breastfeeds, and Allegra wouldn't be able to drink one whole bottle in one night. So I bet it was him" added Mercutio.

Anthony rolled his eyes "Why are you putting up with that little freak? I thought he was on Shylock's side"

"He isn't on anybody's side" argued Benvolio "Shylock was mean to him and shut him in his room for twenty four hours, with no food or water, and he had to do a runner. And he says Shylock used to be nice until you turned up"

"This is ridiculous. He's a brat. And his dad is filthy rich, so why doesn't he just go back to him, instead of bothering you? He's probably just spying" Anthony dismissed.

"He isn't spying" protested Benvolio "He was in a bad state. We found him in the street fighting a bunch of chavs. Rosaline's turned her back on him"

"Clever Rosaline" snorted Anthony "Does he still wear skirts and heels?"

"Well..." Benvolio trailed.

"Is he doing all right?" asked Rose, concerned knotted between her eyebrows.

"If you count singing in the bath for three hours, painting his nails, being sarcastic, feeding a cat smoked salmon and watching psychological thrillers on the television as all right, he's fine" replied Benvolio "We sent him out with the girls and Eliseo to go shopping"

Anthony snorted, and stood up "I'll go and get your sister. Have fun with the gender-confused nutjob"

"He had better not mean one of us" said Portia, after he left.

"No. He means Gabriel" replied Mercutio "You should check out all his clothes. When he was in the bath, me, Hermia and Allegra raided his suitcase. You should see them all"

"That's enough!" commanded Benvolio "What are we, bigots? This is the twenty first century. Be open-minded"

"Sure, sure, Benvolio! After all, we dressed up as the Spice Girls once" grinned Mercutio.

Benvolio banged his head on the table.


	44. Awkward, Awkward, Awkward!

Maybetheawesome - Mercutio moments are awesome to write.

No offense to any Mantuans reading this - I just thought it would be funny to have some Verona/Mantua rivalry!

* * *

"That is the ugliest effing skirt I have ever seen in my entire life" commented Gabriel, pointing at an American tourist.

"Scrap that. Look at that girl's makeup. How did she apply it? With a trowel?" remarked Hermia, slurping at her chocolate ice cream.

"No, look at that one. Is she pregnant? Or just fat?" asked Allegra, nibbling her strawberry ice cream.

"I can't tell. All of her is pretty huge, but her stomach is pretty rounded" replied Gabriel, as they sat inconspicuously in the shade, observing the tourists wandering around the streets.

"I love playing Pregnant Or Just Fat" snickered Hermia.

"I love staring at all the tourists and making bitchy comments" giggled Gabriel "I remember when Angelo and I went to Mantua. And we got stuck in traffic in the city centre, so we just sat there for an hour playing Pregnant Or Just Fat and talking about how ugly all the people were. And they smell too. I can sniff out a Mantuan from like, Rome. Or even Sicily"

"I thought Rose was from Mantua" said Hermia.

"Exactly" said Gabriel "I feel so sorry for Amparo. She's having to work there until the end of September. Well, anyway, Allegra, tell me. How long have you been taking lessons at La Fenice?"

"Since we arrived" replied Allegra "I want to be a singer, and so when I ran away, and turned up at Merc's doorstep, he encouraged me to go for it when we went to Venice"

"A singer! Oh how wonderful!" Gabriel clasped his hands together "And, if I am right in thinking, an opera singer? Oh, good for you!"

"Did you just say something nice?" gasped Hermia.

Gabriel looked offended. Allegra looked at his face and wanted to giggle.

"Yes, an opera singer. I love singing. I always used to sing as a child. When Mercutio isn't listening to his own demented chicken noises, he likes to listen to me" Allegra swung her legs.

"If I have to hear him make that noise again, I'll..." growled Gabriel.

"When are we heading back?" interrupted Allegra.

"How about now? This little one here will want a nap" said Hermia, gesturing to Eliseo as he chewed a rattle.

"And Mercutio and Benvolio will be wondering where we are" said Allegra.

"I hope Portia can help. I hope we can find a situation that will appease them both" Gabriel stood up, stretching. Hermia straightened up, and readjusted the bags on the back of the buggy. Allegra joined them, and they began to walk down the canal to get in a gondola. On the ride back, they played a game Gabriel taught them, which Angelo had taught him, 'I Spy Something Beginning With X' – an X-Rated version of 'I Spy' For example, Gabriel spotted Simon's house, and said 'I spy something beginning with S' and Hermia replied 'Shithouse'

"Ugh, that creepy guy lives so near to us?" grimaced Allegra.

"Oh yes, he is such a creep" Gabriel wrinkled his nose.

"He kept staring at me when he helped Tybalt fix the telly" said Allegra.

"I heard he does crack" gossiped Gabriel "And you know how? Right, well, my friend Lucius, who is my friend because his sister is Lavinia, who used to be my dance partner, knows him because Lucius is a tattoo artist and also does piercings. Simon came in, wanting some piercing somewhere or a tattoo or something, I can't remember. But anyway, he came in, and he started talking to Lucius about crack. Oh, and another time, he heard me call him ugly"

"What happened?" asked Hermia.

"Right, well, this is just after I met Rosaline, and her and Tybalt's friends. So me and my friend Juno were in the boy's loos, and Juno was like 'Why are all Tybalt's friends so ugly?' and I was like 'I know, right? That Simon guy needs a plastic surgeon and a twenty four hour hairdresser' and then he came out the loo. Tybalt persuaded him not to throw me in the school dumpster after he chased us around the field"

Both Hermia and Allegra snorted.

"And he calls me a gender-confused freak" said Gabriel.

"Oh, tell me about it. He once came round our house with Tybalt and saw my hoodie lying on the sofa, looked at the label, and saw that it was from the men's wear section, and started calling me 'Hermiaphrodite' But, then I made up this song about his mum, and thankfully the name never caught on with Rosaline" replied Hermia.

"Oh yes. His mum is a big fat beefy thing. I was in their house, and I was in the kitchen with Rosaline, and she said the reason there was a crack on the ceiling was because Simon's parent's bedroom was above the kitchen!" howled Gabriel with laughter.

Hermia and Allegra screamed with laughter, and clutched each other as they almost fell over.

"That is a good one!" Hermia sniggered. The gondola stopped, and they both climbed out, still laughing about Simon's mum. Gabriel helped carry Eliseo's buggy, and they headed towards the apartment. Hermia opened the door, as they still laughed.

"Mercutio!" giggled Allegra "You should hear this story about Simon's mum! Tell him, Gabriel!"

Gabriel snickered his way into view. He had just stopped laughing enough to gain his breath back, when he realised who was in the room.

"Rose" he stated.

"Gabriel"

Gabriel regarded her "Another time, another place"

"Another city" responded Rose.

"You've changed" remarked Gabriel.

"You haven't" retorted Rose.

"Awkward" sang Mercutio under his breath to Benvolio.

"Two exes in one room? This should be fun" muttered Portia to Nerissa.

"It would be so much better if Amparo was here. Both her exes, with their new girlfriends, all in one room! Along with the baby" Hermia whispered to Allegra.

"Well, um, thank you for coming, Portia. I am so pleased you can help us, and very grateful" said Benvolio, desperately trying to break the silence.

"It's no problem. My girlfriends here wanted a break before term starts. Rose and Nerissa have never come to Venice" replied Portia.

"We had plans to come here one day, didn't we, Rose?" said Gabriel "But...I came alone"

"Just like your sex life" nodded Mercutio. Benvolio hit him. Mercutio coughed "I mean, that's sad. But you've got yourself a cougar now, haven't you, Gabriel?"

"Don't call her that!" shrieked Gabriel.

"We...should be going" said Rose "I wanted to go to one of the art galleries, I took art at A Level, and my sister studied art. I'd love to see a Venetian art gallery"

"Oh, they're really boring apart from the naked portraits" said Mercutio "I drew a picture of Benvolio naked. You should his little B. It's bigger than it looks"

Benvolio flushed red "I told you, to stop telling people you drew me naked! Because you didn't! And you told Shylock, of all people!"

Gabriel shrieked with laughter "There's no shame in being a subject! Madonna modelled for art students back in the late seventies. One of my acquaintances did a sketch for me...of myself...naked"

"Bye" Benvolio smiled at Portia.


	45. How To Get Rid Of Beatrix

Maybetheawesome - Thanks!

Oh dear, well, that was an awkward chapter. Is today any less awkward? Plus, sorry for not updating so quickly. I had two fillings at the dentists and just felt like sucking on ice pops for the past few days.

* * *

"Oh my God, that was so awkward!" exclaimed Gabriel.

"Mercutio!" Benvolio yelled "Why did you say that?"

"It's funny! Look, you're all red. Aw" Mercutio grinned.

"You are terrible!" Benvolio pulled at his scruffy hair "The only person who has ever seen me naked is Hermia. So stop it, with this nude drawing business. I would never strip off so people could draw me"

"That's a lie. You used to get in the bath with me and Romeo. I have photographic evidence. We get changed in the same room if there's nowhere else. And who wiped your bum and changed your nappy when you were Eliseo's age? Or gave you a bath? Your mum and dad, plus your grandparents on either side, other family members, babysitters. And what about Beatrix? You spent nine months wearing birthday suits together before you got born. Heaps of people have seen you naked"

"Whatever...just stop going on about it!" insisted Benvolio "She isn't actually going to stay here, is she?"

"Who's staying here? Gabriel's already on the sofa" frowned Hermia.

"My sister" groaned Benvolio "Apparently, she's arriving in Venice, and dad has just gone to pick her up. And also, dad says she has to stay here"

"Let her have the sofa. I don't sleep. I'll just make myself comfortable reading something in the spare room" said Gabriel.

"You slept last night" said Hermia.

"Yeah. That only happens every other night. Let her have the sofa. I'll move my stuff into the spare room as well, to give you some space. Snooky will like the peace and quiet, anyway. Did you give her the smoked salmon?"

"I gave her ham" replied Mercutio "We don't have salmon. And if we did, I'd eat it myself, I wouldn't give to a manky cat"

"She is not manky – she's a pedigree Persian cat! Her parents were show cats" Gabriel clutched his cat to his chest, and kissed her on her ears.

"So, it appears we have a young Aunty Regina amongst us" remarked Hermia. She turned back to Benvolio "But other than that, how did it go? Can we do this?"

Benvolio nodded "Portia said she'd try, although she knows more about criminal law than financial law"

"And she's ok with working for free?" asked Hermia.

"She's fine with it. She says the experience is worth every penny"

Gabriel beamed "She's a nice girl. Probably one of the only one of Rose's friends that I actually liked. The others were stupid little girls who giggled so much I felt like stuffing shoes down their throats"

"That's nice, Gabriel" said Mercutio.

"I didn't like many of them either" agreed Benvolio "Especially not that Lizzie friend of hers. They were all just so dipsy and small-minded"

"I know. They were all the same. No character, no personality, they all liked the same things, listened to the same music, wore the same clothes, had the same hair, and wore the same sort of make-up. Every time I tried to talk to one of them, they'd just giggle. You couldn't have a good conversation with any of them. Portia's like Amparo – an intelligent woman"

"She must love you" remarked Hermia, raiding the cupboards for some food.

Gabriel beamed "She does. I can't wait to get back to Verona so I can reunite with her. I haven't seen her in weeks, and haven't spoken to her in days"

"Distance makes the heart grow fonder" said Mercutio.

"We know, don't we, Wooshy-wo?" added Allegra.

"You came running back into my arms though, didn't you?"

"Only after you tried to squat in the garden shed...and my dad complained to the council"

"They were poo poo heads"

"How romantic" muttered Gabriel to himself.

"Hang on" Benvolio sat upright "I just had a brain wave. Gabriel – you and Launcelot worked for Shylock, right?"

"Well, duh" said Gabriel.

"Well, how about I agree to work for him until three thousand Euros have been paid off in wages?" asked Benvolio.

"You? Work for Shylock? Pah! You're far too innocent to work in that environment. You probably don't even know what position sixty nine is!" sniffed Gabriel.

"I do, actually, and I've tried it too!" shot back Benvolio.

"Uh oh!" sniggered Allegra and Mercutio, looking at Hermia.

"Yeah, you tell him, Benny, I'm dead flexible!" shouted Hermia.

"Urgh, that is gross" groaned Gabriel, as Benvolio blushed violently.

"You said it" shrugged Mercutio. The door knocked.

"Oh, great. That's Beatrix. What are we going to do?" grumbled Hermia.

"Tell her Robert Pattinson lives the other side of town?" suggested Mercutio.

"Tell her Justin Bieber has moved to Verona. She'll soon go home" dismissed Allegra.

"Hey. Be nice. She's my sister" said Benvolio.

"Yeah, you threw her Twilight books out the window!" scoffed Mercutio.

"They were on the window pane, and my hand just so happened to slip! It was an accident" insisted Benvolio.

"Oooh, Bambi has a dark side!" snickered Gabriel. Benvolio opened the door, and in stepped his annoying sister and his dad.

"I'm here! Look, I brought all my Twilight movies, and all the books, and my Justin Bieber CDs. We'll have a whale of a time" announced Beatrix. She looked around "Why is everybody so grumpy?"

"Nothing, sister dearest" replied Hermia "Are you looking forward to cosying up to Gabriel here on the sofa?"

"No" spat Gabriel "I'm in a relationship"

"What?" frowned Beatrix.

"As if I'd let her" scowled Anthony.

"You can't stay here" said Hermia bluntly "The sofa is taken. Gabriel is sleeping on that. And I doubt you would fit in Eliseo's spare cot"

"But I'm Benvolio's sister!" protested Beatrix.

"And I was here first" added Gabriel.

"And he's homeless" Mercutio went on "You can just keep your Twilight-filled brain out of this mess"

"That's not fair" whined Beatrix.

"You could stay with dad" proposed Benvolio "I would let you stay...but we can't just kick Gabriel out. He needs all the help he can get"

Anthony and Beatrix looked at Gabriel.

Gabriel smiled.

"Fine" snapped Beatrix.

"Or I could ask Desdemona if you could stay at her place" said Hermia "After all, she has Rose, Portia and Nerissa there. And I know you were all best friends in high school. When Portia wasn't bashing Twilight, of course"

"Whatever. I wouldn't want to stay here in case Benvolio starts wetting his sheets again" snapped Beatrix.

"I would not! I'm eighteen!" protested Benvolio.

"Don't talk about your brother like that!" hissed Anthony.

"That was a stupid rumour I made up" retorted Gabriel "It is so old. Get over it already!"

"Thank you, Gabriel" said Benvolio "Hermia, why don't you ring Desdemona? She left her number with us"

Within an hour, they had successfully removed Beatrix from the house. Mercutio sank onto the sofa, relieved. Gabriel sat beside him.

"Thank you for letting me stay" murmured Gabriel.

"We didn't do it because we like you" Mercutio quickly replied "We did it because we don't like Beatrix"


	46. Return Of The Financial Advisor

Maybetheawesome - Yeah, no worries. I may be taking a break from updating because next week I'm looking after my cousins. And by god, are they hectic!

Haha, Beatrix got kicked out! They'd rather have Gabriel stay with them, lol! Also, in this chapter, is a segment from ALYN, copyright to me!

* * *

And so Beatrix sat, completely out of place, in Desdemona's house, amongst some of the smarter members of her generation.

Portia was pouring over a law book, that Beatrix had not a chance in hell of understanding. Nerissa was helping her, being a steadying influence whenever Portia became stuck, or tried to follow several strands of thought at once. Desdemona was discussing psychology with Rose. Beatrix felt jealous. They'd all been in the same year at school, and they were going to university and were going to do well, when she and her dad were bankrupt. She'd have felt better if her dad would accept the money her uncle was throwing at them by the dozen, but he wasn't.

"I'm just not confident with financial law" sighed Portia "I understand it, yes, but I just don't know how I can apply it to this case and work it to our advantage. By all means, all I can show so far is that, whilst cutting a pound of flesh would seem illegal, there's nothing against doing so, and Anthony signed the contract, which showed that he was happy to do so"

"There must be something we can hold against him" Nerissa encouraged "Come on, keep working. You know you can do it"

"I know I can do criminal law" Portia grumbled "I'm not going to specialise in financial law. I hadn't given it much thought until now"

"Well, I always thought I was going to specialise in developmental psychology" said Rose "But now, I'm hoping to go into therapeutic psychology. Once you put your mind to it, it will come. And also, you'll see places where the two overlap and it will help you"

"Keep working, Portia, you'll get there. Think how great it will be, when you've got this experience before you've even stepped a foot into a classroom" added Desdemona.

"I'm not even qualified" murmured Portia.

"You know, I don't even think the case thingy-ma-jingy is legal. You're not even qualified, and yeah, there's nothing that says, 'don't cut a pound of flesh' anywhere, but Shylock is threatening to kill someone. Surely that's 'attempted murder' and that is pretty much illegal everywhere" Beatrix commented.

The girls looked at her.

"And anyway, if you're stuck on the financial stuff, just phone up Tybalt. Tybalt Capulet. He's really smart" Beatrix continued.

"Tybalt was two years above me at school. He used to set fireworks off outside classrooms and was almost expelled in year ten after he threatened to kill his geography teacher. He was the worst student in the year. He's not smart. Rosaline is, though. Perhaps she could help us" mused Portia.

"Tybalt is really smart!" exploded Beatrix "He's changed. He's turned his life around. He was underachieving before, because he had a shit childhood and his mum was mentally ill and we were feuding, but now he's doing great. He once helped me get back two hundred pounds after it was stolen by my ex boyfriend"

"What, did he mug him?" snorted Nerissa.

"Probably" snickered Desdemona.

"No! He pretended to be my financial advisor, and made David give it back. He knows loads about debts"

The girls looked back and forth. Beatrix smiled triumphantly.

"What happened?" asked Portia interestedly.

_"Do you understand how a debt works?" asked Tybalt._

_David wrinkled his nose "No. I'm majoring in Sport Studies"_

_"I can tell" said Tybalt with a Gabriel-style sneer "So allow me to educate you. A debt is an obligation owed by one party, that's you, Mr. David, to a second party, the creditor, which is Miss. Montague. Now, usually this refers to assets granted by the creditor to the debtor, but the term can also be used metaphorically to cover moral obligations and other interactions not based on economic value"_

_"What?" David asked bemused._

_Tybalt took a deep breath, and went on "A debt is created when a creditor agrees to lend a sum of assets to a debtor. Debt is usually granted with expected repayment and in modern society, in most cases, of the original sum plus interest"_

_"Well, there isn't one. So you can push off!"_

_"Miss. Montague and I have evidence!" Tybalt almost shouted "I have reviewed and researched Miss. Montague's financial accounts, and found that there is a sum of two hundred pounds missing. Miss. Montague has informed me of several witnesses present whilst the debt was created. So I am giving you one last chance to pay back Miss. Montague before I proceed to take legal action against you"_

_"Eh?"_

_"And you also do not seem to be aware of the consequences of not paying back debts. As the creditor, Miss. Montague, is entitled to her two hundred pounds, and you do not seem to be able to pay her back, she is entitled to two hundred pounds worth of your possessions"_

_"Legal action?" asked David again._

_"Tell him, Beatrix" commanded Tybalt._

_Beatrix grinned and turned with a smirk "You give me my two hundred pounds, or I'm going to sue the living backside off you!"_

_"Ok! Ok! It's here!" David ran inside his room, and came out with a fistful of notes. He thrust them at Beatrix and then slammed the door. Some had fluttered to the floor and Tybalt helped her pick them up laughing._

"Well" remarked Portia "Shylock is definitely a tougher cookie than a scaredy cat jock boy"

"Yes, but Tybalt's even smarter now. He'll know all about the forfeits of debt and all about when interest isn't a monetary asset" Beatrix went on.

"Did she just say monetary asset?" whispered Rose to Desdemona.

"I think that's what I heard. Maybe she read it somewhere" Desdemona whispered back.

"Can she read?"

"Well, she read Twilight with no trouble"

"See!" Beatrix hopped up and down happily "Phone him up tomorrow morning. He'll only be too happy to help"

* * *

Tybalt wandered downstairs, his head panging. Rosaline sat at the dining table, with a cup of coffee in front of her. She took one look at him, in a pair of grotty boxers and an old t-shirt, and shook her head, disappointed.

"What?" snapped Tybalt, instantly regretting it, as his head panged even worse.

"You look disgusting" spat Rosaline.

"So do you without any make-up" he spat back.

Rosaline gasped "You pig! You know, I have a good mind to pack my bags and walk out on you! Since that prick turned up, you've just gone back to your horrible old ways. Smoking, drinking, especially after you'd been doing so well. Shame on you, Tybalt!"

Tybalt's expression softened "I didn't mean it, my head kills. Look, come here, I'm sorry..."

He tried to embrace her, but she shoved him off.

"I don't want to hug you right now" scowled Rosaline, exiting the room. Tybalt watched after her, feeling guilty. The phone rang.

"Ugh" groaned Tybalt, feeling his head throb. There was only one person who would ring him at eight in the morning. He grabbed it "Fuck off, Mercutio"

"Excuse me?"

"Oh. You're not Mercutio, are you?"

"No, this is Portia"

"Oh. Hi Portia. Can I help you?"

"Yes. You can. How would you like to be Anthony Montague's financial advisor?"


	47. An Open Relationship

Cornadopia - Aha, you'll find out what Tibby says next chapter. Tibby and Beatrix are friends, though, remember?

So, today's chapter is kind of irrelevant, but it's necessary if I'm writing yet another sequel, and for the final chapter of TSOV. Basically, Gabriel is being his usual dramatic self. Oh, and don't hate Gabe for what he does at the end...remember what Amparo said about their relationship in chapter 6?

* * *

Rose walked back to Benvolio and Hermia's apartment with Gabriel. Gabriel was talking and laughing nervously, as if he felt obliged to entertain his female companion.

"My key...Mercutio gave me a key, ah! Here it is. Will you accompany me upstairs? Or shall I accompany you home? But first I must change my shoes, they are new, and rubbing my feet"

"You always did worry about your feet" noted Rose.

"That I did! I have to make sure they are in shape for dancing. Any unnecessary blister just won't do. Ah, yes, here we are. After you, my lady!"

Rose stepped through the door. That old woman glared at them both, particularly at Gabriel as he made loud peals of laughter. He twisted, and then peered out of the front door at the sky.

"Gabriel, what are you doing?"

"I'm just looking at the stars, Rose! See how beautiful they are. And see how they shine on the water. And look, there's the Pleiades, the Seven Sisters! And Sirius, the dog star. Woof! I'd love a Chihuahua. And Orion, of course"

Rose stepped back out "Can you see our star signs?"

"What, Capricorn and Aquarius? No, no, not right now. What star sign are babies being born under right now? Virgo the virgin, isn't it? Benvolio's sign!"

Gabriel turned away, allowed Rose to step back inside, and then closed the door behind him. He escorted Rose up the stairs and unlocked the second door, letting them into the apartment.

"Well, it appears that King Mercutio and Queen Hermia and their respective consorts and little heir are still out" noted Gabriel "So...a small night cap?"

"Sure" said Rose. She flicked a light switch, but they remained in the dark "Oh! The lights aren't working"

"Oh no! A powercut? Never mind – I'm sure we can make do! You know, at least I have a roof over my head, rather than being out on the streets. Benvolio's sensible, he'll have some candles" Gabriel clattered off into the kitchen, and in the dimly lit room, Rose saw him pull out a packet of tea lights. He put one out, and then used his cigarette lighter to light it "That's better! Now I can see what I am doing. For your drink, ma'am – oh, please make yourself comfortable on the sofa. Just move the blanket aside, and it should be fine, if there aren't baby toys under the cushions!" He pulled out two glasses and one of Mercutio's vodka bottles. He mixed it with orange juice, and then handed it to Rose.

"Now" he beamed, carrying his drink and a tea light over to the coffee table by the sofa "We're going to be rather Bohemian. We're going to pretend we are sitting in a little artist's cafe, in Paris! Allegra comes from Paris, and she speaks both French and Italian. We can have a conversation in two languages. Do you remember how to speak French?"

"No, like everyone, I forgot it all after GCSE" said Rose, sipping her drink.

"Ah," said Gabriel "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?"

"What?"

"Did you know what I just said?"

"No idea"

"A shame! Perhaps I ought to have tutored you for longer. And perhaps rewards for getting the answers right a little more...a little more...rewarding than kisses, shall we say!"

"Well," Rose smiled, "I enjoyed them. You were always a good kisser"

Gabriel smiled to himself "You are too kind, Rose. Shall I play some music? I believe Allegra has some CDs that are to my liking. Hermia and Benvolio listen to some of the weirdest rubbish I have ever heard in my life. And don't get me started on what Mercutio listens too! I mean, the Gaga isn't bad, but the rest of it? Ugh"

"Benvolio still likes all the alternative weirdo peace hippy stuff?" asked Rose, her arm resting on the back of the sofa.

"Yes! He ought to be embarrassed by his ipod"

"I expect yours is still full of Madonna"

"Of course it is!" Gabriel exclaimed delightedly, slipping in a CD. Piano music filled the room "Ah, this beautiful. I learnt to play it on piano, and Allegra told me could play it on the flute. It's so dramatic, yet so lonely! A top up for your drink?"

"Please" said Rose, handing him her glass "Will they be home soon?"

"No, I don't think so. They've gone out to dinner with Anthony. I hope the baby throws up on him"

"Gabriel!"

"What? I hope it does. And I shall laugh. I am not especially fond of the man right now, however much of a better man his son appears to be. In fact, I..." Gabriel pressed his knuckled to his lips, before snapping, and hurrying back into the kitchen to refill their glasses.

"Cheers" said Rose "To us"

"To us" repeated Gabriel, clinking glasses with her.

"Do you know what you'll do when you go back to Verona?" asked Rose.

"No" sighed Gabriel "I suppose I could teach dancing. To the little ones. I could train as a ballet teacher and ask my old teacher for a job – he'll only be too pleased to have me, we were very close"

"You'd be a good teacher. You helped me get into shape when we were together, didn't you? Only I put all the pounds back on afterwards"

"There's no shame in a curvy figure! Trust me, I have always found you more attractive than the bony girls I dance alongside. I don't know if I will teach. I want to be on stage. I'm young, and have yet to show the world what I'm made of before I retire. What about you?"

"Me?"

"Yes, you! Let's talk about you. We've talked enough about me. We need to catch up"

Rose sighed "I'm going to get a psychology degree and then go into therapeutic psychology. Counselling. You know, bereaved children, abused children"

"That's very noble of you" nodded Gabriel, drinking "You were always a very sympathetic person. And a good person to talk too. Shall I tell you something funny?"

"Go on"

"Your star sign is Aquarius, and the ideal career for an Aquarius is psychology!"

"Well, how about that?" Rose smiled "What about you, stubborn old Capricorn?"

"Politics was one of them, believe it or not. It never did mention dancing"

"Well, I'm sure that your stubbornness and ambition will help you get there" Rose assured "You set your heart on La Scala, and worked your way there, even when people did push you down. You'll make it"

Gabriel smiled breathlessly "You always were the first one to encourage me. The first person to believe in me"

"I was, wasn't I?" said Rose "Oh, Gabriel, you're so sweet. You really have changed, haven't you?"

"I have?"

"Yes! You're more of the man I fell in love with, than the bitchy boy who rebelled against Angelo and spread rumours about people"

"I think the Wicca has something to do with it" said Gabriel "I know I started off on the wrong foot, but now...I think about what it really means, and I have...I have this awareness. You know, what goes around comes around"

"Not just that" Rose ran her fingers through his blond hair "But you say such sweet romantic things. Only Romeo does that, and he's taken"

"Thank you, Rose" replied Gabriel. And then he kissed her.


	48. The Court Case Begins

DeeCatVenice - Hi, thanks for the review! I'm not actually a big fan of Twilight or it's fandom, but I know some people who are and will enjoy it. I'll pass the link to your story onto them!

Naughty Gabriel! Well, summer is officially over, and the court case begins!

* * *

"All right" said Tybalt, the morning of the court case "Hermia, Benvolio, Mercutio, Ugly-egra-"

"Shut up, Twatbalt" retorted Allegra.

"Beatrix, Rose, Desdemona, and whoever else I've forgotten, you are going to sit in the public gallery. Portia, Nerissa and I will be sitting with Anthony and will be presenting the case. Gabriel, you are going to talk to Shylock one to one before the case begins, to give him one last chance before we lay it into him, and then you will join with the others in the public gallery"

"What about me?" demanded Rosaline.

"Ah yes" Tybalt smiled. He scooped up Eliseo and dumped him in Rosaline's arms "You're babysitting"

"What?" roared Rosaline, outraged.

"You're babysitting"

"I can't babysit!" protested Rosaline "I hate children! I don't even know how to pick them up! And what if he throws up or poops? Why me?"

"Because," said Tybalt "The rest of us all need to be there. We can't take him with us in case he starts crying and stuff. And, anyway, Hermia will tell you what to do with him"

"This is so unfair" snarled Rosaline.

"Yang yang" gurgled Eliseo, reaching for Rosaline's blonde hair. He grabbed two handfuls of it and tugged. Rosaline shrieked, and tried to pull him off.

"Have fun" smirked Hermia "There's milk in the fridge, it's in a bottle that has his name on it. Just heat it up a little in the microwave and he'll be fine. If not, there's baby food in a jar. And there are nappies in the spare room. All the stuff you need is in the changing box. He'll have a nap mid-morning, and another one mid-afternoon. And you can play with him anytime you like! He likes it when you blow raspberries on his tummy"

"Maaa!" squealed Eliseo, clapping his hands and reaching for Hermia. Hermia kissed her baby on the cheek.

"Be a good boy for Aunty Rosaline. Mummy will be back this evening to read you a bed time story. Love you, sweetie"

"Bye bye, little one. I'll be back before you know it" Benvolio kissed Eliseo on his forehead "Love you too"

Rosaline grimaced as Eliseo turned and beamed at her. He grabbed her cheeks in his hands and giggled. Somehow, his tiny fingers and chubby cheeks failed to work their magic on her. He was a small infant, and he mystified her.

"Are we ready?" asked Tybalt.

"I don't feel well" complained Allegra.

"You still have that bug?" asked Mercutio.

"Looks like it. I've always been susceptible to these stupid things"

"Poor Wally-wegra" sympathized Mercutio "Are you sure you want to come? You can stay here and rest in bed. It will probably be boring, anyway"

"You're not coming if you're just going to breathe pathogens into the air. I don't fancy catching another illness from your germs" grumbled Tybalt.

"Fine then, I won't. It's probably just an allergic reaction to the horrible toxins produced by your breath" Allegra retorted.

"Well, then, she can babysit" said Rosaline quickly.

"Not a good idea, not when she's poorly" said Hermia "You both stay here. Allegra, you can help out Rosaline if she gets stuck"

"She can change his nappy" Rosaline added ferociously.

"Have fun" grinned Hermia.

"I hope you feel better soon, Wally-wegra" Mercutio lovingly wrapped his arms around her "I will come home and make you a nice hot chocolate, and give you a kiss, and run you a bath, and then, we'll snuggle"

"Stop making me feel ill" grumbled Tybalt.

"You're just jealous I'm not offering any of these things to you" swarmed Mercutio. He kissed Allegra on her blonde hair "Love you, Wally!"

"Love you too, Wooshy!"

The rest filtered out, leaving Rosaline holding Eliseo and with Allegra almost wanting to laugh at the sight.

"Maaa!" wailed Eliseo.

"Hey...shh...Mummy will be back in a few hours" soothed Allegra, stroking his cheek "I'm here. You've got Aunty Wally-wegra with you"

"Maaa" sobbed Eliseo mournfully.

"I hate children" growled Rosaline.

"Yeah, you made that pretty clear" sniggered Allegra.

"No, I mean it. I hate them. They're horrid"

"Don't you want any...Minibalts to love?"

"One of him is enough" grumbled Rosaline.

"For once, I agree"

Rosaline sighed, and dumped Eliseo down on the sofa "What am I going to do all day? I can't just sit here. I have some work I could be doing. Tybalt and I are finishing our internship in two days, and we took the day off for this. I could still get on with all that, and give myself a better chance of getting a really good reference. Only, all my work is at Simon's place"

"Go and get it then. I'll take care of Eliseo. I'm not that sick"

"I'm not leaving you here alone. You're fifteen. And I can't bring it here, it's on a laptop, and there's loads of files, and it would take ages. And I could also get on with the packing. I'm almost sorted, it's just Tybalt's stuff that needs to be packed. He's left it all to the last minute. He's such a lazy git"

"Understatement of the century, plus the fact that he's obscenely unattractive"

Rosaline glared at her "He isn't that bad looking. Only when he's pissed and hasn't had a shower in a few days. I think he's sexy"

Allegra wanted to laugh, but didn't. Rosaline just sighed, and tried not to freak out as Eliseo grabbed a cushion and started to hit Gabriel's cat over the head with it.

"Right. Where's Eliseo's buggy? We should go back to Simon's, and I can get sorted there. I can work and start packing"

"Don't you think Simon will mind?" asked Allegra cautiously.

"Of course not. He'll probably be on a comedown after all that weed he smoked last night. He won't even notice us"

"Do we have to go back to Simon's? He's so...creepy"

"I don't like him anymore than you do. He's a bad influence on Tibby. But he'll be asleep. He won't know we're there. You can just sleep on the sofa, and I'll work, and try to watch...that, and make sure he doesn't puke on the carpet"

"His name is Eliseo, and he's a baby" Allegra corrected, scooping him up and rescuing Snooky from being hit over the head with a cushion. She kissed him on the cheek, and he cooed happily "I think he's lovely. I'd like one of my own one day"

"Good luck with raising a miniature Mercutio. I heard his mum is on anxiety medication" Rosaline rolled her eyes.

"She just doesn't understand him" protested Allegra "I think he's...marvellous"

"I think...you have no taste"

"You married Tybalt, what do you know about taste?"

"I have plenty of taste! And I don't care what he does or what he looks like, he's my Tibby, the man I knew from birth. I love him unconditionally. You're dating a freak"

"Mercutio is not a freak. He has an amazing and unusual imagination and sense of humour, which makes him unique. I don't know anyone else quite like him, and can't imagine being with anyone else"

Rosaline just rolled her eyes again at the younger girl. There was four years between them. They were complete opposites in almost the same way in that Hermia and Rosaline were opposites. As Allegra lived half the year in France, they did not spend enough time in each other's company to wind each other up, and there was enough space for them to be civil to the other. Allegra was of the belief that Rosaline was completely mad to have married Tybalt. Surely almost twenty years of knowing him was enough to tell he was a complete idiot? And Rosaline thought Allegra was completely mad to be attracted to Mercutio in the first place. Surely five minutes of knowing him was enough to tell that he was completely insane?

Nonetheless, they set off, with Rosaline clutching Eliseo and Allegra carrying the heavy bag.


	49. One Last Chance

So off they trot. Gabriel has one last chance to talk Shylock out of it. It's also the first time the two friends meet since Shylock shut Gabriel in his room (can anyone blame him?) Will they ever make up?

* * *

Gabriel hurried ahead of the crowds outside the steps of the court. He scanned the crowd for Shylock, but did not spy him. He disappeared inside, and began to look for him. He had forgiven his friend for locking him up. It wasn't Shylock's fault. He was just angry. Gabriel knew he was a good person. Gabriel knew that deep down, Shylock knew better than to stoop to Anthony's level like this. And Gabriel knew that this was his last chance to talk him out of it. If he could not do so, it was out of his control, and he would have to leave Shylock to the mercy of Portia and Tybalt.

Eventually, he slipped inside the men's loos. Gabriel wrinkled his nose. He had always disliked public toilets for men. They always stunk. He found Shylock straightening his tie in the mirror.

"Shylock?" said Gabriel, approaching him.

"So there you are" grunted Shylock "Have fun with my cash?"

"What cash?" asked Gabriel.

"The cash you stole"

"I don't steal" protested Gabriel.

"Well, where else did it go?" snapped Shylock.

"Jessica took it"

"Of course" snorted Shylock "So, what have you been up to? Cosying up with that bigot?"

"No! Absolutely not!" gasped Gabriel "I'd never cosy up to a man who treats Jewish people as sub-humans. I mean, all the best ballet dancers were Jewish. Jerome Robbins, for instance-"

"I don't want to hear anymore about your bloody obsession with ballet!" yelled Shylock "You're a failure. Crawling after the people who'll give you the most support when you need it..."

"No, of course not. I wouldn't do that. We're _friends_, Shylock, _friends_. I understand you. I know how you feel – I'm a Wiccan. My people have been just as persecuted as yours have. And look, I'm begging you, stop this! You aren't as bad as he is. You are a good man, and you are so much better than him. Sure, he tortured you in high school, but all you can do is hold your head high, and know in your heart that he is nothing more than a pathetic neo-Nazi, clinging to stupid traditional views for the sake of holding onto tradition"

"Cut the cheesy speech out, Gabriel" Shylock scoffed "I know you too well. This is just another one of your acts"

"Why would I act about this?" demanded Gabriel.

"I don't know what goes on in your messed up head"

"Well, I don't know what goes on in yours" retorted Gabriel "All I know is that...even though Anthony's a bastard...Benvolio is a good person and he doesn't deserve to go through this"

"Benvolio is a good person? Wow. You've changed your tune" snorted Shylock.

"I've got to know him better"

"You know, he insulted me as well, right? Yeah. Him and that friend of his. They asked me if it hurt when I got..."

"They explained..." Gabriel protested "You know what Mercutio's like. He's a complete freak with no social skills and he's completely obsessed with rude parts of the human body. And anyway, Benvolio told him off! Benvolio's a good guy. He doesn't deserve to go through this"

"So, you're asking me to forgive Anthony, just like that, just because his son is a pacifistic wimp?" demanded Shylock "No way. I've got this far. I'm not stopping now"

"You're not achieving anything!" Gabriel cried "All you are doing is giving yourself and your religion a bad name"

"As if Anthony and his Christian pals hadn't already done so!"

"Yes, I know that! They call my religion bad names as well. They say I worship Satan, when clearly, I do not, because Satan is a Christian creation and the pagans were worshipping peacefully long before the Christians took over. But look, the only way to make people respect you and your religion is to hold your head high and present yourself as a dignified individual"

"Whatever, Gabriel! You're young, and idealistic. Be quiet. There's no backing out now"

"I know you're worried about what people will say and think if you back out now" Gabriel added gently "But if anything that my experiences have taught me, then it's not to stoop down to the other side's level. I did, and it was more trouble than it was worth. It will be ok – we can get through this. You can talk to Jessica, and she'll come home. I'll come home too, although I think I ought to sort out some business in Verona first, though. Amparo hasn't heard from me in weeks"

"But how can I just let years of abuse go like that?" asked Shylock.

"You have" Gabriel replied "You have! Your club was a complete haven to me when I needed support. You have fought back against discrimination in a dignified manner by providing a place for us to come together and support one another. I mean, yeah, sometimes there'd be the odd drug raid and stuff, and I know some of my crowd could get kind of bitchy and back-stabby, but what's wrong with that?"

Shylock sighed and leant against a sink. Gabriel swung himself up onto a counter, and dangled his legs. He pulled out a cigarette, and offered one to Shylock.

"We can't smoke in here" responded Shylock.

"Well, I won't tell if you don't" Gabriel lit them up, and inhaled. He knew he was supposed to be quitting, but in this occasion, he needed it.

"Every time I look through my old school year book, I remember it" confessed Shylock "I mean, it's like...like a constant shadow hanging over my life"

"Let it go" urged Gabriel "Let it go"

"Well, why?" demanded Shylock "Anthony hasn't let it go. It's not that simple"

"What are you talking about? Yes it is! Mercutio calls me Draco Malfoy and I can forgive him! Well...I can resist the urge to punch him"

Shylock just rolled his eyes "You have no idea what it's like, do you? I'm not just doing this for me"

"Well, who are you doing it for, then?" asked Gabriel.

"None of your business" he stubbed out the cigarette in the sink "I'll see you in the court room"

Gabriel swallowed, and stubbed out his cigarette. Now he knew there was no hope. Shylock was so full of hate, there was no breaking through to him. Gabriel headed out of the toilets, and found Tybalt and Portia.

"What did he say?" asked Portia.

"He said he'd see us in court. So..." Gabriel trailed off "Do as you must"


	50. Simon

Oreoskidz - Welcome back! I hope you had a good vacation. And I hope you're feeling better!

So, Shylock's not going back on his word. How are Rosaline, Allegra and Eliseo doing? Also...I don't own Simon. He belongs to Cornadopia and she can keep him because he's evil. This chapter borrows heavily from chapters 14 and 15 of her awesome story Mercutio and Allegra. Seriously guys, you should go and read it and then review it. It will make your life complete.

* * *

Rosaline kicked a beer can out of the way with the toe of her heel disgustedly.

"I hate Simon" she seethed "He brings out the complete worst in Tybalt. I hate, hate, hate him"

Allegra looked around at a house that had once been lovely, but was now full of the rubbish of two lazy chavs. Eliseo had quietened down, and so Rosaline showed Allegra to the front room, and put Eliseo on her lap. Allegra glanced at the floor and saw a bright orange stain on the cream carpet. She briefly wondered what it was, before quietly singing a song to Eliseo, who had began to pine for Hermia again.

"Mummy will be back later" said Allegra, looking at her watch. Eliseo curled up closer in her arms, and she wondered what it would be like if she was holding a baby that was hers and Mercutio's, rather than just her godson.

Rosaline stepped back into the room, carrying a sleek black laptop and files. She set it up beside Allegra, and got to work. Eliseo had almost nodded off as Allegra sang to him. But once Eliseo was asleep, Allegra found herself bored. All her stuff was back at the apartment. Rosaline was busy working, and so Allegra decided that, if Tybalt wasn't here to wind up, Rosaline would do nicely.

"So, Rosaline" announced Allegra "Is it true Tybalt has the Montague family crest tattooed on his butt?"

"No!" snapped Rosaline.

"Oh. So, I guess it's Mercutio's name he has tattooed on there instead"

"He doesn't have any tattoos!" snapped Rosaline.

"I thought he had loyaute tattooed on his leg" said Allegra.

"He does"

"But you just said he didn't have any"

"I didn't mean it like that! Stop distracting me. I'm working"

"But you're leaving in a few days"

"I want a good reference"

"Why?"

"So I can get a good job for when I leave university"

"Why?"

"Because I want money. And lots of it" answered Rosaline.

"Oh. What do you want all that money for? So Tybalt can have penis enlargement surgery?"

"Tibby's dick is big already!" hissed Rosaline.

"How big?"

Rosaline seethed "Bigger than any of the Montagues – but that's not hard"

"Well, Benvolio's got the job done" said Allegra, gesturing to Eliseo.

"I don't want to talk about this with you" Rosaline snarled.

"Why not?"

"Because!" Rosaline snapped again "I'm not surprised Tybalt hates you so much"

"That's not very nice" remarked Allegra "Tell him from me that he's a poo poo head"

"Urgh, Mercutio's got you trained up, hasn't he?" growled Rosaline "Why don't you go and bother Simon?"

"I don't like him" replied Allegra.

"All the more reason for you to go and annoy him"

"Simon's no fun like you!"

Rosaline just growled as Allegra snickered. The door barged open, and Simon staggered in, wearing just his underwear. Allegra stopped snickering. Rosaline shrieked. Simon turned.

"I thought you were at work!" he hollered.

"I bloody well wish I was!" Rosaline yelled back "Put some clothes on!"

"My house" grunted Simon, slumping in an armchair.

"Yeah, which you've ruined" Rosaline gnashed her teeth "What on earth is that orange stain?"

"Sweet and sour Chinese takeaway. I had it last night. Tybalt knocked it over"

"It matches Tybalt's hair" remarked Allegra.

"Tibby's not ginger!" Rosaline hissed "He's strawberry blonde"

"No, this is strawberry blonde" said Allegra, gesturing to her own hair.

"And a very pretty strawberry blonde you are, my dear" said Simon "Shame we can't say the same about you and Hermia, eh, Rosaline?"

"Excuse me?" Rosaline breathed.

"All I'm saying," said Simon "Is that I want someone who hasn't been used yet"

"I'm in a relationship" Allegra quickly replied.

"What did you call me?" Rosaline hissed.

"I said" Simon grinned stupidly "You're a used up old baggage"

"I'm married" seethed Rosaline.

"Yeah, exactly, I want something fresh"

"Well, of course, no married woman in her right mind would have anything to do with you. I wouldn't do anything with you, even if I was single" spat Rosaline "Now that Tybalt's not here, and the fact we're leaving in a few days, I can say it. You make me sick, and you bring out the worst in Tibby. He's doing well, and you're dragging him down again"

"I didn't ask him too" shrugged Simon "Maybe he wants someone new"

"Tibby is my childhood sweetheart" retorted Rosaline "He told me he couldn't love anyone else the way he loves me"

"Cute" muttered Allegra to herself.

"Yeah, well, I think he's bored of you and your boring yuppy lifestyle" taunted Simon "You see, whilst you've been cosying up to your boss, we've been having chats. Apparently, you're five pounds heavier than before he married you, and you forgot to wax your legs during your exams. Way to let yourself go, former Virgin Queen. Oh wait. You weren't even that"

"You shut up" commanded Rosaline, with such force, Allegra felt as though she was the one being told off "I've heard about you, and the bad things you do. And I lived on the Burry Estate. I'm no fool"

"So, what have I done, eh, Ros?" leered Simon.

"You're a dirty pervert" hissed Rosaline "And don't call me Ros!"

"Now, now, Rosaline, I thought you liked a bad boy"

"I like a bad boy, not an evil creepy perverted excuse of a boy" snapped Rosaline.

Simon sneered, and reclined back in the armchair. Rosaline tried to appear as if she was getting on with her work, but Allegra knew she wasn't focused on it. She squeezed Eliseo, and he curled up against her closer. Tenderly, she readjusted his little white jacket.

"I bet you're glad it's not yours" Simon snorted.

"What do you mean?" asked Allegra.

"Kids are baggage"

"Not always" murmured Allegra.

"I'm guessing Hermia's not as much fun as she used to be now she's got him"

"Of course she is" retorted Allegra.

"Yeah, I didn't mean that. I'm talking about how tight she is now she's shoved out a seven pound baby"

"He was eight pounds, actually" correct Allegra.

"Even worse" grimaced Simon "Shame. Before she had him, she'd give it up to any boy who asked. Kind of handy, really. But not quite as fun as something fresh"

Rosaline had been silenced. Allegra knew she did not care for Hermia particularly, and was probably the culprit of spreading vicious rumours regarding Hermia's attitude to relationships and dating.

"Well, she never had sex with you, so I think she has enough taste to not be criticised" Allegra answered coolly, braver than she felt.

"As if I would" muttered Simon "Damaged goods"

"What did you say?" frowned Allegra.

"I said 'damaged goods'" Simon said louder.

"Don't say that about my cousin" Allegra retorted.

"I'll say what I like" sneered Simon "Right, Rosaline? You should be used to it by now"

Rosaline responded by throwing her laptop across the room, chucking her files in the air and storming out the room, slamming the door. Allegra clutched Eliseo tighter, as he began to wail at the noise.

"Ssh...there, there. It's just a noise. Aunty Rosaline is just playing" murmured Allegra, stroking his curls and rocking him, although she knew Rosaline was doing no such thing. She thought she heard Rosaline sob as she stormed upstairs, and wondered whether to follow her.

"So" said Simon "Alone at last"


	51. Gabriel Flees Again

Ah, I forgot to update! Guys - you have to review so I remember to update! Yeuch, poor Allegra, being left with Simon. Back to the court case. I admit it, I copied Shylock's speech which he should have said earlier on in the story from Sparknotes No Fear Shakespeare, since I suck at translating ye olde English.

Plus...I think the court scene is kind of sucky. I don't know anything about how a trial would work, so I've decided to fudge it. Please, bear with me!

* * *

"Oh my God! It's Taylor Lautner!" screamed Beatrix, pointing across the room.

"That's Shylock, you fool" hissed Anthony.

"Please stop this obsession. I'm starting to fear for Eliseo's safety" grumbled Benvolio.

"That's enough!" interrupted Tybalt "You two need to go and sit in the gallery. You'll be down there, with Portia, Anthony, and I'll be over there. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Tybalt" said Beatrix "But oh my God, he so totally looks like Taylor Lautner! Dad, why were you so mean to someone who looks hot?"

Benvolio coughed and gagged "He's the same age as dad!"

"Gabriel's dating a woman fifteen years older than him" retorted Beatrix.

"Yeah, that's fifteen years, not thirty!" Benvolio rolled his eyes "Come on"

Beatrix hugged her dad, and turned away. Benvolio turned back to face him, unsure of what to say. Should he offer words of advice? Give him comfort? Tell him he loved him? Apologize profusely for breaking the television? Or should he just tell him it was his own fault for being a bigot? Part of Benvolio wanted to do that. The other part of him was still his usual, non-confrontational self, and that side just wanted to hug him.

"I'll...see you when this is all done" said Anthony, laying a hand on Benvolio's shoulder.

"I'm so sorry I broke that telly. I had no idea you'd get into this mess"

"Benvolio, I don't mind. Really, I don't. It wasn't your fault. I always hoped to be able to provide for my kids, and I did"

"But you went too far!" Benvolio almost wanted to sob.

"No, I didn't. Chin up, son. I'm sure we can find a way out of this. By the way, what the hell is Gabriel wearing?"

Benvolio looked across the room, at Gabriel, who was wearing round black sunglasses, a giant black hat perched at one angle, black lipstick and what appeared to be a black and white striped suit with matching black and white brogues.

"He looks like Lady Gaga's dream boyfriend" snorted Anthony.

Benvolio giggled. Gabriel waved, showing he was wearing black nail varnish as well.

He turned back to face Anthony. Anthony quickly hugged him, and patted his shoulder. Benvolio took his place between Hermia and Gabriel, in front of Mercutio. Hermia was having a hard job not to laugh at Gabriel's outfit. Mercutio poked the hat, so that it fell off Gabriel's head.

"Hey!" hissed Gabriel "Don't knock fashion until you've tried it"

"That is not fashion" muttered Mercutio to Hermia, who giggled as well.

"I can't see past it at all" complained Hermia.

"Well good, because the only thing I can see is Tybalt's ugly face, and I'm saving you from going blind. Be grateful" Gabriel swarmed.

"Shut up! It's starting" interrupted Benvolio.

The judge had everyone stand, and then the case began. Benvolio paid as close attention as he could. Portia was calm, and replied to each question with ease. If Benvolio hadn't known that she was just a student, and a student wishing to specialise in criminal law, not financial law, he would not have been able to tell the difference. Tybalt was a different story. He drummed his fingers on the table, crossed and uncrossed his legs, scratched his head and fidgeted.

"And they say I have ADHD!" snickered Mercutio into Benvolio's ear.

Anthony sat calmly, as if what was happening around him was not really there. Shylock shot him filthy glances, and yet he did not return them. Benvolio nibbled at his lip, dreading the potentially deadly outcome of today.

"And so, Mr. Shylock, you do know what you are asking for is a. Disgusting, b. Potentially lethal and has, c. Questionable legality. Do you have anything you would like to say to this?" asked Portia.

"No" snapped Shylock.

"I would also like you to reaffirm why you so desperately would like one pound of flesh, because, if you don't my saying so, it's weird. What on earth would you use it for?" scorned Portia.

"I'll use it for fish bait. You can't eat human flesh, but if it feeds nothing else, it'll feed my revenge. He's insulted me and cost me three thousand Euros. He tormented me throughout my adolescence, he's laughed at my losses, made fun of my earnings, humiliated my religion and my people, thwarted my deals, turned my friends against me, riled up my enemies - and why? Because I'm a Jew. Doesn't a Jew have eyes? Doesn't a Jew have hands, bodily organs, a human shape, five senses, feelings, and passions? Doesn't a Jew eat the same food, get hurt with the same weapons, get sick with the same diseases, get healed by the same medicine, and warm up in summer and cool off in winter just like a Christian? If you prick us with a pin, don't we bleed? If you tickle us, don't we laugh? If you poison us, don't we die? And if you treat us badly, won't we try to get revenge? If we're like you in everything else, we'll resemble you in that respect. If a Jew offends a Christian, what's the Christian's kind and gentle reaction? Revenge. If a Christian offends a Jew, what punishment will he come up with if he follows the Christian example? Of course, the same thing - revenge! I'll treat you as badly as you Christians taught me to - and you'll be lucky if I don't outdo my teachers"

Gabriel turned around to Benvolio "I can't bear this. I'm going to go back to the apartment. Let me know what happens, won't you?"

"Of course" Benvolio whispered back.

"Yeah, make sure Rosaline hasn't chucked Eliseo in the canal yet" added Hermia.

Gabriel got up, gave a curt nod to Shylock as he passed out the door, and stepped back out into the Venetian streets.


	52. Defeated By A Ballerina, Freak And Wife

Cornadopia - Teehee, I based his sunglasses off of Lady Gaga's Paparazzi video ones, I have the jacket and brogues I imagine him wearing, and I invented the trousers. I love his stupid outfits.

I'm updating again today because I want to get this story finished before I get my exam results. Can Allegra escape the evil Simon? And will an unexpected 'friend' come to her rescue? This chapter is heavily based on chapters 14 and 15 of Mercutio and Allegra, by Cornadopia. I don't the horrible Simon (thank goodness) and I don't own Allegra. They belong to Cornadopia.

* * *

Gabriel caught a gondola back to the apartment, and opened the door. He was perplexed to find the place completely empty, even after calling for Rosaline, Allegra and Eliseo several times. It was just then he found a note, tacked to the telephone.

'_We have gone to Simon's house so I can pack my stuff and get some work done. This is his number, ring us when you're back if we aren't. Rosaline'_

"Fantastic" Gabriel grumbled sarcastically. He grabbed some money out of Mercutio's room, since Mercutio would probably waste it on junk and wouldn't miss a few Euros that Gabriel spent on making sure his little girlfriend and pesky godson were ok. He headed back out into the street, and caught a gondola to Simon's house.

* * *

"I don't want anything to do with you" Allegra said, trying to sound as firm and ferocious as Rosaline. She clutched Eliseo tighter, as if to shield him from this disgusting pig of a man.

"Don't you have a heart?" mocked Simon, clutching at his for effect.

"Yes. I have a heart, but it does not belong to you!" Allegra answered "Go away and bother Rosaline. I've nothing to do with you, and don't intend too"

"That's such a shame. You're such a pretty girl. Know what I'd like to do to a pretty girl like you?"

"Go away!"

Simon tutted patronizingly, and moved over to the sofa to sit beside her. He leered at her. Allegra shuffled away worriedly. Eliseo meowed in protest "Ba ba ba!" he squealed.

"Put the kid in the other room and we'll have some fun, eh?"

"I don't want anything to do with you! I'm with Mercutio!" Allegra repeated, louder, hoping Rosaline would cease her crying, and just do something.

"Well, let's hope you're not damaged goods like Hermia"

He touched her shoulder, and Allegra slapped it away in horror. His hands were sweaty and hot, like worms. She'd reached the edge of the sofa, as far away as she could muster. She didn't want to stand and run for the door, because he'd get there first. She didn't want to yell for Rosaline, in case Simon got worse...

Just as Allegra thought she could bear it no longer, the door knocked, piercing the horrible silence.

"Who the hell is that?" growled Simon.

Allegra sighed of relief, hoping he'd leave to answer, but he didn't.

"Aren't you going to answer?"

"They'll leave" Simon shrugged, slouching back. The door hammered again. Allegra nervously readjusted Eliseo.

"Let me in, bitches!" shouted a shrill voice.

Gabriel! Allegra had never been so glad to hear his horrible shrieky voice in all her life.

Simon growled "Not that gender-confused freakshow again. I'm not answering that. Although...maybe he could babysit the kid. Fancy coming upstairs for a bit?"

"No!" screamed Allegra. Eliseo began to wail. Gabriel knocked got louder.

"Let me in! What's going on? Let me in, or I'll break in!"

"You heard him, he'll break in" Allegra quickly gabbled.

"Pff! He can't even fire a gun or win a fight. He'll never get in. Stupid ballerina"

* * *

That stupid ballerina was currently walking around the house to the downstairs bathroom window, which was open. It was a tiny window. Neither Simon nor Tybalt could have fit through it. But Gabriel was small and skinny. It was fairly high up from the street, but there was a drainpipe. Now, Gabriel knew how to climb. He'd spent years of climbing out and in his bedroom window and down and up the drainpipe to get to Shylock's bar. He clamoured up, opened the window as far wide as possible, and stuck his head in. Then went in his right arm, and then his left. He balanced his arms on the sink, as his feet left the drainpipe and he lay vertically out of the window. Slowly, he dragged his body through the window, and then dropped to his feet. All this, he had managed to achieve in complete silence.

Finding one of Rosaline's curling tongs, he picked it up as a weapon, and pattered through the hall. The living room door was closed, but he could hear the voices.

"...don't touch me. Please"

"...now, now, don't play hard to get. It may be fun at first, but what's the use in a frigid girl?"

Gabriel immediately felt sick, and started to have flashbacks. The scars on Lavinia's wrists flashed before him...

And then he felt as though someone else was taking over. With the force of a lion, Gabriel kicked open the door and stormed into the front room.

"What's going on!" he demanded, in a voice so deep and angry, it surprised him.

Simon snorted with laughter.

"Hey look, he's finally gone through puberty!"

"Shut up" snarled Gabriel "What is going on? Why didn't anyone answer the door?"

"Because I don't want a faggot in my house" jeered Simon "And anyway, we were about to have some fun, weren't we, Allegra?"

"You'll do no such thing" Gabriel hissed. Simon stood up, as if to try and scare him away, but Gabriel did not back down. They circled around each other, threateningly.

"Who do you think you are, ballerina?"

"I'm a danseur, actually, and I think I'm the Black Swan!" yelled Gabriel, lunging. Simon was knocked back onto a mirror, and he slumped to the ground. The smash echoed around the house, and soon Rosaline came rushing down the stairs. She screamed when she saw what Gabriel had done.

"You nutter! Have you killed him?"

"Chance would be a fine thing" said Gabriel, putting down the curling tongs. He kicked Simon's leg with his toe. He did not stir. Allegra had stood up, and was silently rocking Eliseo.

"Why are you crying?" asked Rosaline, looking to Allegra.

"He was hitting on me" sobbed Allegra.

"He hits on everyone, he's a creep"

Allegra shook her head, still crying "No, it was worse than that, he-"

"Makes me sick" spat Gabriel "I hate men like that. They give the rest of us a bad name"

"What are we going to say to Tybalt?" worried Rosaline.

"How about...his judgement of his friends is rubbish?" suggested Gabriel.

"You can talk" snorted Rosaline.

"Can we please just get out of here?" begged Allegra. Gabriel went and stood with his arm around here, and gently wiped away her tears.

"There, there. We've got you. We'll go home in a minute"

"You stay there, I'll get my bags" said Rosaline, hurrying up the stairs. Gabriel looked down disgustedly at Simon.

"I'd never heard you talk in such a low voice" said Allegra, shaking.

"Me neither" replied Gabriel "I've never attacked anyone with my bare hands like that either"

"It was so scary" Allegra breathed deeply, calming down.

"Get out of my house, you freak" hissed a voice. Both Gabriel and Allegra jumped. Simon was stirring, trying to sit up "Go on! I don't want freaks in my house"

"You're the real freak" Gabriel retorted angrily "Men like you make me sick"

Simon sneered, as blood trickled down his face. He wiped it away "I can just tell, you and that Mercutio are made for each other. Both a pair...a pair of freaks. Have fun with the ugly little brats you'll have"

"Shut up" said Allegra, finding her power again. Rosaline stormed back into the room.

"If you ever, ever touch her or threaten her again, or ever speak or treat me the way you have been again, then I will grab my favourite pair of pink Manolo Blahniks and shove them where the sun doesn't shine" she snapped.

"Where's that, the mental house with Tybalt's mum? I don't care about you. I don't care about him either. You've made him boring"

"He's worth ten of you!" hissed Rosaline.

"What, an ugly ginger wannabe yuppie, with scar that looks like he had a C-section and a crazy old mum? Hardly"

Rosaline fumed "Number one, Tibby is not ugly. I think he's gorgeous, no matter what he looks like. Secondly, it doesn't matter if his scar is ugly or if it looks like he had a C-section. He got it defending a member of our family, because he's loyal and brave, and loves us to bits. Which is more than you can ever say. And number three, my mother-in-law is not crazy. She is mentally ill. But she's doing much better and doesn't need so much medication anymore. And even when she is sick, she is still a lovely woman. And number four, I just recorded you saying that shit about him on my mobile. Consider your friendship with Tibby over. He is worth ten of you!"

"Exactly!" Gabriel yelled "Let's leave. What are we waiting for?"

"One last thing" said Allegra. She dashed forward, and slammed her foot down between Simon's legs. He howled in pain, and the trio left that instance.


	53. Case Won

Cornadopia - Thanks pal! Glad it lived up to your expectations. You can have Simon back now. I actually had a dream last night where he was in it. I got Mab'd. Mercutio's reaction will be in...the chapter after next, I think?

All right! Back to the court scene. I can't but feel the scene with Simon overshadowed this a bit. So anyway, what will happen to Anthony? There's more spotlight for Tybalt than Portia in this chapter, since Tybalt is a main character and I wanted to show how far he'd come when dealing with the Montagues. Once again, I don't know what happens in a court case, so I have just fudged it.

* * *

Portia was running out of ideas. She'd keep Shylock talking for as long as she could, as was the plan. The Montagues still weren't here yet, with their final offer for Shylock. The judge looked stressed. Portia could tell that the judge felt sympathy for both sides, knowing that Anthony was wrong to discriminate against Shylock, but that Shylock was also in the wrong to ask for the pound of flesh. She herself felt the same way, to an extent.

The doors barged open.

"One second! Just one minute!" cried Romeo Montague, running down to the witness box.

"What is the meaning of this?" grumbled Shylock, as the rest of the Montague family rushed in.

"We will offer you" panted Romeo "Six thousand Euros. Double the original loan"

"Yay, it's my Woo woo! Look, it's my Woo woo, everybody! We've missed you, sexy!" called Mercutio.

"Absolutely not!" exclaimed Anthony "I can't ask you to pay..."

"Yes, you can!" hooted Romeo "We're family. So, Shylock, six thousand Euros. What do you say to that?"

"I'll have my bond, and nothing else" growled Shylock.

Romeo's face fell.

"Nine thousand Euros!" shouted Lord Montague.

"I said, I'll have my bond, and nothing else!" Shylock growled again "If you offered me that sum, nine times over, I'd still want my bond. My bond, and nothing else!"

"Portia, what do you have to say to this?" asked the judge.

"I would advise Mr. Shylock to be merciful and take the sum of money" said Portia.

"What do you Christians know about mercy?" spat Shylock.

"Fine" said Portia "You asked for it. Before Mr. Shylock takes his bond, I would like to invite Mr. Montague's financial advisor, Mr. Capulet, to take the stand"

"Him?" laughed Shylock "I knew his dad. If anything, he probably isn't much smarter"

Tybalt narrowed his catlike grey eyes, and stormed into the stand. The Montagues took their places behind Benvolio and Hermia.

"What's been going on? We tried to get here as soon as possible, but the traffic was terrible" whispered Paulina.

"Portia's been keeping Shylock talking for as long as possible. Apparently, she and Tybalt have a plan" Benvolio whispered back "I have no idea what it is, though. It's been horrible, it's been like one great big Jew-Christian slanging match"

"God" muttered Paulina. She turned to her husband "Claudio, did you know of this...rivalry?"

"Yes, but that was all it was, a rivalry" Claudio stuttered "Just two boys being stupid. That was all I heard"

"Well, he's giving the rest of us, dare I say it, _real_ Christians a bad name, acting like that" Paulina scowled.

"I couldn't have said it better myself" Claudio replied.

Benvolio bit his lip, as the room fell silent again, and the attention was on Tybalt.

Tybalt took a deep breath "I am well aware that in a modern day society, a repayment or a forfeit of debt can be something other than a monetary asset. After all, I did help Mr. Montague's daughter reclaim two hundred Euros from her ex boyfriend, and score the highest in the class in the first unit test"

"Is this a valid point?" asked the judge.

"Yes. I'm onto something" Tybalt turned back to the courtroom "Although, what we have seen so far simply shows how Mr. Shylock is entitled to his pound of flesh, I cannot help but feel that there are flaws in the bond created, and as well as that, questionable legality"

"Continue, Mr. Capulet" said Portia.

"To begin with, Mr. Montague here is bankrupt, meaning that he has limited capacity to enter a contract. Whilst I am aware he was not bankrupt at the time the contract was drawn up, that brings me onto my next point, which is that the one who wants to enter the contract must do so on his genuine consent. I am aware that yes, Mr. Montague did sign the contract and give consent, although I also feel that some emotional blackmail was in place. My third point is about the questionable legality in this case. I doubt this bizarre bond is even legal anyway, but, let's presume it is"

"So do I get my bond?" demanded Shylock.

"One moment" said Tybalt firmly "Show me the contract"

Portia took it from Shylock and handed it to Tybalt.

Tybalt read it slowly "Well, it says here, very clearly, one pound of flesh"

"Yes" grumbled Shylock "Do I get it now? I've waited years for this moment"

"Oh, you'll get your pound of flesh" Tybalt started to smile.

"What is he doing?" whispered Paulina "Is he just giving into him? Is he going to let that man hurt Anthony?"

"I don't know. Why would he do that?" asked Claudio.

"Because we're Montagues?" suggested Romeo.

"The feud is finished, pillock!" Hermia whispered back, shoving her ring under is nose.

"Maybe it's delayed revenge. Maybe he waited until we were vulnerable so he could get us" Romeo went on.

"This contract" Tybalt declared loudly "Entitles you to one pound of flesh. However, if you draw blood, then that is bodily harm. And that is not in this contract. Take your pound of flesh, but without drawing blood. And while you're at it, try doing this as well. Try and estimate exactly one pound of flesh. It's difficult, isn't it? How can you know how much it weighs until you've taken it? And if you take more, then that's not in your contract, and you have no right to it. And once again, it's bodily harm. As well as that, blood loss would also likely kill Mr. Montague. I'm no stranger to the law – I've been on the wrong side of it many times. What you are attempting to do is attempted murder. You can be charged for that, and then face a great many years in jail. I suggest you ask the judge for mercy"

The doors were closed off by two policemen. Shylock looked around. There was no escape.

"I'll take the money" he said quickly "I didn't really mean it"

"You had plenty of chances to pull out" Portia replied "We gave you many chances. Benvolio attempted to reason with you one evening. Gabriel asked us to give you the opportunity to do so, and he also tried to give you the opportunity to do so this morning by talking to you. I have given you many chances today by keeping you talking, and offering you ways of leaving with both your party and Mr. Montague's party satisfied. You heard Mr. Capulet. Ask the judge for mercy"

"It was all an act" Shylock tried to continue "A joke! I just meant to scare him! It was a psycho scare prank!"

"Arrest him" said the judge simply.

The policemen marched forwards, and seized Shylock.

"I am charging you on attempted murder..." began the policeman.

"And as for you, Mr. Montague" said the judge as Shylock was taken away "You heard your financial advisor. As you are bankrupt, you had limited capacity to enter a contract. You can void the contract and keep your...pound of flesh. But, as a suggestion on a personal level, you should never treat anyone like that, ever again. Go back to high school and take some Religious Education lessons"


	54. An Even Worse Forfeit

So, Anthony ducked a bullet there. But what will his family say to him? Also, meet Isabella Montague here. She'll be a major character in the next installment (if I write it)

* * *

The Montagues all sighed with relief. Claudio and Paulina hugged one another, but there was a bitter sweetness in the air. Benvolio could not describe what it was. Beatrix herself did not pick up on it, and it was only when they were outside the courtroom, and reunited with Anthony, that he did.

Beatrix seized Anthony in a hug.

"They saved you! Three cheers for Tybalt, the best financial advisor in the world, and Portia, the best financial lawyer in the world!"

Anthony smiled and laughed with her, and turned to thank Tybalt and Portia, but Tybalt was busy with his mobile and Portia was being hugged and applauded by her own friends. He turned back to his family.

"I'm free to go!" he beamed "Did you hear that? And I have a great idea to get back on my feet...what's the matter?"

"You" said Benvolio "You're the matter"

"What do you mean?" asked Anthony.

"You should have seen yourself" said Claudio.

"What do you mean?"

"What were you thinking of?" Paulina almost shrieked "Discriminating and treating him like that! Just because he was Jewish? What is your problem?"

"It was just a joke!" Anthony protested "I didn't mean it! I didn't know any better when I was a kid!"

"A kid? You're not a kid anymore, Anthony! You're forty six!" yelled Claudio "You should know better"

"I'm ashamed of you" said Benvolio.

"How do you think this makes the rest of us look?" asked Paulina "Christianity is not about discriminating people – it's about treating others the way we would like to be treated, and forgiveness! You have just given our entire church, our entire community, and everyone who identifies as Christian a bad name"

"What would Friar Lawrence say?" asked Romeo.

"Religion aside, I'm embarrassed to call you my father" spat Benvolio "I can't believe you'd stoop so low. You're nothing more than a two-faced, bigoted, bullying, evil, neo-Nazi!"

"I'm none of those things! I made a mistake!"

"What would mum say if she was here?" exploded Benvolio "Hmm? Would she still want to be married to you? Or would she be glad she's dead, so she doesn't have to see you like this?"

"Benvolio, that's a-"

"And you aren't exactly world's best dad either – you're always favouriting Beatrix and telling me off. Even after she died, I never got any comfort. It was just 'grow up, Benvolio, stop crying, stop being such a girl' or 'stop wetting the bed, Benvolio, it's a disgusting habit, how old are you now?' No hugs, no sympathy, nothing! I hate you!"

"Benvolio!" gasped Anthony.

"I wish you'd died of cancer, instead of mum!" Benvolio continued to yell "I wish you'd got prostate cancer, and were the one vomiting from the drugs, with no hair, suffering in agony – maybe then you'd know how it felt to be one of those poor Jews in the concentration camps. You have no right to treat people like that! I am so, so angry with you!"

"What on earth has this got to do with..."

"It has everything to do with everything!" Benvolio screamed, growing red in the face. Sweat broke out on each side of his forehead "How am I supposed to raise Eliseo now, knowing what you are? If I have any sense, I'll never let you near him again, in case you turn him into a little bigot like you!"

"Benvolio!" shouted Anthony.

"I don't want to speak to you again!" Benvolio shouted, running off "I don't want any of your money, ever again! I'll earn it myself next time! Don't call me, don't come and visit me, just do yourself a favour, and disappear!"

Mercutio ran after him, pausing to blow a big wet raspberry in Anthony's face, before catching up with his friend. Romeo glanced backwards, and then ran after his two best friends.

"Hermia, you'll talk him out of this, won't you?" said Anthony.

Hermia sighed, unsure of which side to take "Just let things calm down, first, Anthony. He's got Mercutio and Romeo with him to talk to. I'm going to go home and see my baby"

"I'll come with you" said Tybalt "I'll come and see if Rosaline hasn't lost her mind yet"

"Oh boy, I hope he's puked" Hermia grinned. She and Tybalt clamoured into a gondola together, leaving Amparo with the Montagues.

"Gabriel isn't with them" she said, turning to her closest friend, Isabella Montague, aunt to Romeo and Benvolio.

"Maybe you just missed him"

"No, I'd have seen him. He'd have been wearing something eye-catching, and you can't miss platinum blond hair" Amparo looked around again, wondering where her young boyfriend was.

"Well, we were going to go back with the students, back to their place" said Isabella. She looked over to where Anthony and Claudio continued to argue "But I'm not sure that's such a good idea right now"

Amparo pursed her burgundy lips "I've got to find him. He's become completely unreachable. I only know he's still here from the stories reported from your family. Angelo is beside himself with guilt and worry. He keeps saying that this is Gabriel's idea of revenge, to make him worry about him"

"Angelo is worried about him? He looks so composed whenever I see him"

"Yes. He completely swallowed his pride to call my rented apartment in Mantua to ask if Gabriel was with me. When I returned to Verona, which was only a few days ago, mind you, he was hammering on my apartment door, demanding to speak to Gabriel. I told him I knew as little as he did"

"Perhaps we could follow Hermia back to the apartment. I'm sure they'll know more. I have the address here, and I know where it is. We can ask them" said Isabella.

"Good idea" said Amparo, climbing into a gondola. The Montagues continued to rage at Anthony outside the court, and they turned away.


	55. The Reunion

Well, I'm going on holiday for five days, and so I thought I'd update before I left. I get exam results the day after I get back, and I think they are going to be rubbish, so I may not update for a while.

After the court case, it's time for everyone to come home and reunite. What will Mercutio do after finding out what Simon tried to do Allegra? Will Tybalt listen to Rosaline? What will Hermia and Benvolio do, knowing their baby was there? And will Gabriel and Amparo reunite?

* * *

"Glabber-glabber!" babbled Eliseo.

"Glabber-glabber!" Rosaline cooed back, leaning over him. Eliseo giggled, clutching at strands of her blonde hair "You like the pretty blonde hair, don't you, you little angel?"

"Who are you, and what have you done to Rosaline?" asked Gabriel.

"Ssh! Eliseo wants to tell me something" Rosaline bent low over Eliseo.

"Ung-gaaaa!" shrieked Eliseo. He reached down, and grabbed a rattle. He shook it at Rosaline.

"Clever boy!" Rosaline cooed. Eliseo threw the rattle away, and started to crawl around the sofa. On her hands and knees, Rosaline followed after him. Eliseo laughed delightedly as she chased him, and then scooped him up and kissed his chubby cheek.

"Just look at you" Rosaline smiled, stroking his little curls "You're so sweet!" she turned to look at Gabriel, and her soft cooing voice for Eliseo faded back to her usual voice "How is she?"

"Asleep" replied Gabriel "She was upset, and just wanted to hold onto Mercutio's pillow. I hope they hurry up and come home soon. I tried calling him, but he didn't pick up. All I got was this really weird voicemail message, which was some demented version of Lady Gaga's 'Telephone'"

"Oh God, Mercutio's singing" Rosaline closed her eyes for a moment "I feel sympathy for you"

"You should, my eardrums are ringing" Gabriel fell down onto an armchair, stroking his cat, who leapt onto his lap affectionately. Rosaline returned to playing with Eliseo, who delighted in the attention from his new friend.

"Don't tell anyone about this" instructed Rosaline, tickling Eliseo.

"Of course not" smiled Gabriel. The keys twisted in the lock. Both Rosaline and Gabriel looked up.

"We're back!" laughed Hermia "Did you have fun with Eliseo, Rosaline?"

"Why the long faces? We won!" exclaimed Tybalt.

Rosaline and Gabriel both stood up.

"You know your friend, Simon?" said Rosaline.

"No. Who the hell is Simon? I've never heard of him" responded Tybalt sarcastically.

"An evil sicko who tried it on with Allegra, that's who he is!" yelled Rosaline.

"What? Oh, well, she probably asked for it, anyway. Why were you with Simon?"

Rosaline gnashed her teeth, suddenly fighting tears "No one ever asks for it, you ignorant prat. We went back to his house so I could pack all the crap and shit you hadn't bothered too. We took Eliseo as well, and then Simon came in the front room and started calling me 'used' and saying rude things to us both, so I got so angry I threw the laptop across the room and stormed out to pack your crap so I could leave. Then, whilst I was gone, he started hitting on Allegra, telling her he wanted to screw her, and I dread to think what would have happened if Gabriel hadn't climbed in through the bathroom window and shoved him against the living room mirror, fought him off, and alerted me to the fact that he was harassing her!" she shrieked, growing hysterical. Tybalt glanced at Gabriel, who smirked delightedly at him.

"What?" he seethed.

"And then," Rosaline went on angrily "He started saying crap about your mum-"

"What did he say about my mum?" snarled Tybalt.

"He called her crazy" Rosaline replied, with tears now streaking down her cheeks "And I recorded him on my mobile if you don't believe me"

"Forget that, is Allegra all right?" asked Hermia, shoving Tybalt aside "And what about my baby? Is he all right?"

"Maaa!" cooed Eliseo happily, reaching up his arms for her to pick him up.

"Eliseo here is fine. He's been a good boy. And Allegra's ok. She wasn't hurt, just shaken. She's in Mercutio's room. She's asleep, so I wouldn't wake her. She's been asking for him" replied Gabriel calmly.

Hermia barged past him, and swung open Mercutio's bedroom door. They heard her cry Allegra's name, and then Allegra cry Hermia's. The door swung shut, so Hermia could comfort her younger cousin in peace. Eliseo stuck out his bottom lip, disappointed that Hermia hadn't come to him.

"What went on? What's happened? He didn't touch her, did he? I didn't mean it like that!" Tybalt suddenly turned pale.

"I suggest you rethink the kind of friends you keep" Gabriel said darkly.

"I never thought he'd...I'll kill him!" yelled Tybalt, marching for the door.

"No, you fool! Do you want to get shot again?" Rosaline cried, grabbing hold of his shoulders and shaking him "If anything, it was my fault. We shouldn't have gone back there"

"You weren't to know, he had me fooled – who's knocking at the door now?"

Gabriel swung the door open.

"Amparo!"

"Gabriel!"

Amparo seized him in her arms "Where have you been? We have all been worried sick! I thought something had happened to you"

"No, I'm fine!" Gabriel exclaimed, through sobs of joy "You'll never guess what's happened to me. I've been all over Venice, I've been made homeless, and I've...oh, it's a long story"

He sank his head onto her shoulder, in bliss. He breathed in the scent of her, felt the smooth softness of her skin, and listened to the sigh of her breath. He raised his head up to meet hers. She cupped his face her hands.

"I'll get you out of here, Gabriel. I have booked a hotel room, where we planned to stay at Christmas time. You'll be all right now you're with me"

With a sigh, Gabriel leant his head on her shoulder. The door banged open again, this time with Benvolio entering. He headed straight for his room, ignored Eliseo who called out joyfully for him, and shut the door. Mercutio and Romeo followed him.

"It's Gabe's cougar!" giggled Mercutio to Romeo.

"But they're in love, it's so beautiful!"

"Shut up! Anyways, you need to go see Bennykins. I want to hug my Wally-wegra! Wally-wegra, where is you hiding?" sang Mercutio.

"Mercutio" said Rosaline, knowing he was about to kill her.

"What is it?" asked Mercutio.

"Something's happened" Rosaline replied.

"Some...what...happened?" asked Mercutio.

Hermia stuck her head out behind his bedroom door "Maybe you should let her talk to you first, before anyone else does"

Mercutio rushed into his room. Rosaline winced upon hearing his cry of anguish, and Allegra's sobs.

"It's not your fault" Tybalt reassured her, holding her close, and stroking through her hair "If anything, it's my fault. I made you stay there when you felt uncomfortable. I let him be rude to you. You brought all our stuff, right? We'll get a hotel room, and then tomorrow we'll drive home. You never have to see him again and I'll never let him speak to you like that again. It'll be ok"

"Simon Alaverti, you're dead!" roared Mercutio, storming out his room.

"Stop, stop, stop!" urged Hermia, grabbing hold of him "That won't solve anything. Allegra needs you at the moment. Do for her what I wouldn't let Benvolio. Go and comfort her"

Mercutio wandered back into his room.

"We should leave" said Amparo "Thank you, for taking care of Gabriel"

"I don't have all my clothes!" exclaimed Gabriel "Or my cat"

"Come on then, pack them quickly. We should leave them alone now"

Gabriel hastily packed his things and grabbed his cat, and then followed Amparo out the door. He turned back to group, wanting to say...something. A thank you, maybe, but they were all busy, and neither of them turned to say goodbye to him. Gabriel left without a backwards glance.

Meanwhile, Mercutio lay down at Allegra's side, and held her tightly, kissing her forehead and murmuring words of comfort. Hermia tried to open her bedroom door, only to find Benvolio had barricaded it. Romeo tried to push it open for her.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" screamed Benvolio.


	56. In Bed

YES my exam results were fine. I won't be leaping off a cliff tonight! Now, I can enjoy my summer without stressing like a madwoman. And also...it's Hermia's birthday today! Happy Birthday, Hermia!

Poor Benvolio. Let's follow on with the aftermath.

* * *

Amparo was propped up in bed, writing in her little journal. Gabriel was sitting beside her, combing through his hair. When each blond strand was free of tangles, he set down the comb on the bedside table, and lay down, facing the ceiling. Amparo turned to lie on her side, facing him, continuing to write.

"You must tell me everything you've done"

"It's a long story" Gabriel sighed "You know what happened when I got chucked out of La Scala. Well, after I settled at Shylock's, Anthony turned up, asking for a loan"

"I know this bit" said Amparo, her pen resting above the page.

"Well, one night, I tried to talk him out of it" Gabriel sighed again, gently tapping each of his fingers on his stomach "And he went nuts. He shut me in my room with no food and no water"

"For how long?" gasped Amparo.

"Twenty four hours. I tried to get out. I tried to ring you, but my phone had no signal in that room. Then his daughter, my friend Jessica," Gabriel yawned tiredly "Let me out the next day. My phone ran out of charge, and I'd broken my charger whilst trying to escape. I had no money because I'd spent it all on...stupid things I didn't need. I couldn't contact you or return home, even if I'd wanted to"

"Oh, Gabriel" sighed Amparo. She closed her journal and put it, along with her pen, on the bedside table. She leant back on the pillows, closing her eyes.

"Oh, wait, before you go to sleep" said Gabriel "I didn't just waste my money on silly things. I bought something for you"

Amparo opened one eye sleepily "You did?"

"Uh huh. Just let me get it" Gabriel scrambled up and out the bed, heading to his suitcase. Amparo lazily watched him rummage through his case, before sitting up.

"I bought you these. I saw them and I knew they'd suit you" Gabriel held up two silver hair slides with a little bird, spreading out it's wings in midflight.

Amparo beamed "Oh, Gabriel, they're lovely!"

"I knew you'd like them!" Gabriel smiled. Amparo took one, and gently stroked the wing on the bird.

"I will wear them tomorrow. I thought, whilst we still could, we could go and have a little look around the place. What do you say?"

"Of course!" Gabriel replied, tucking the blanket over himself.

"What did you get up too, whilst you were here?"

"Oh, this and that. I went out dancing, I sang in clubs, I posed for photography students and found myself in a magazine. I may have made my mark in this city"

"I know you can, Gabriel. There's something about you, and I call it star quality. Tell me what else. Did you go to any of the places we'd planned?"

"No. I saved it all for when I was with you. And anyway, most of the time, I was stuck at Benvolio and Hermia's house. I was worried about bumping to Shylock. I just hope they're all ok. I'd never realised what...what great people they were"

"I'm sure they are. I didn't mean to drag you away so fast, I just felt like they'd need to bond as a family unit again"

"I know, I know. I think I may have left some stuff there. I'll go and get it before we leave. I never even managed to thank them for all the things they'd done for me, either"

"You can do that..." Amparo broke off to yawn "In the morning"

"Uh huh" nodded Gabriel "So...while I was here...did you get any?"

"Did I...oh, did I get some? Yes, I got plenty. None of them were as good as you, though"

"Well, that's the way I like it. I got some too, although Rose wasn't too pleased about it the next day"

"You slept with your ex?"

"Yeah, she was around. She's friends with and house-sharing with Portia. I rung her, to get Portia to come and represent the case. Although, it was so awkward whenever me, Benvolio and baby Eliseo were in the same room as her! It was so funny, though! I wish you could have been there too. Then it would have been even more awkward and even more funny! She seemed to be absolutely terrified of Hermia – I mean, it's like she thought Hermia thought she'd try and get Benvolio back and would bite her head off if she even looked at or spoke to him. It's even funnier because Hermia's nothing like that!"

"What did Rose think she was going to do?" laughed Amparo "Pee up the guy's leg?"

Gabriel shrieked with laughter "That's disgusting! Oh, honestly. Girls that age"

Amparo sniggered "Hey, remember when we turned up at your end of year prom thing, and how petrified she was of me?"

Gabriel continued to laugh "Oh, yeah! That was hilarious. Ah. Poor Rose"

* * *

"How long's it been?" asked Mercutio.

"Three days" replied Hermia.

"And he's just been lying there?" asked Allegra.

They were, of course, talking about Benvolio. Since arriving home after the court case, he'd gone straight to bed, and hadn't left the room. He had only shuffled out every now and then to use the bathroom. Other than that, he hadn't ate, hadn't drank, or spoken to anyone. He hadn't even had a wash.

"I've tried everything" said Hermia "I took him a cup of tea. I asked him if he wanted some food. I put Eliseo on his head. I even offered him sex but he didn't want that either"

"I tried the shock factor" said Mercutio "I ripped off all my clothes and jumped on the bed. He didn't even tell me to put little M away"

"Mercutio, you're disgusting" giggled Allegra. Mercutio beamed, delighted that she was laughing at him. At least Allegra was feeling better. Against Hermia and Rosaline's wishes, both Mercutio and Tybalt had a rare moment of teamwork, where they went back to Simon's house, and beat up Simon. When they arrived back at the apartment so Tybalt could say goodbye to his family before he left for Milan, Mercutio gave Tybalt a kiss of appreciation. Tybalt did not appreciate it, of course, and screamed and yelled about having 'Mercutio-germs' which cheered Allegra up even more. But nonetheless, Simon left for Verona the next morning, leaving his house behind.

In the meanwhile, Mercutio had spent his time with Allegra, comforting her, making her laugh and trying to cheer her up. When Allegra was in the bathroom, Mercutio broke the ban on him using the telephone that his mother had imposed on him, and dialled his uncle, Prince Escalus. He warned him of Simon returning to the city, and Escalus was outraged. The 'legal difficulties' that Tybalt had helped Simon out of involved Tybalt unwittingly providing a false alibi after Simon apparently stalked and spied on a girl who had turned him down.

With Tybalt no longer on his side, and with no alibi, Simon was signing his own arrest warrant by returning to Verona. Mercutio grinned to himself. It was just a matter of time until Escalus rung him to tell him that they'd caught him. After that, Escalus added, in a very low whisper, that he was proud of him for being such a gentleman to his girlfriend.

The door knocked.

"Who is it now?" asked Mercutio. Hermia swung over to the door and pulled it open.

"Gabriel?"

"I'm back!" sang Gabriel "May I take a bath?"

"No!" cried the three.

"I'm kidding, you dipsticks. I just came back to get the stuff I may have left here" said Gabriel.

"Oh, you mean this metal thing?" Mercutio held up a metal device "What is it?"

"It's an eyelash curler" sighed Gabriel "I wondered where that went! How have you been feeling, Allegra?"

"Fine" replied Allegra.

"Good! Where's Benvolio?" asked Gabriel.

"In his room" replied Hermia "Still"

"What, all this time?" asked Gabriel.

"We can't get him out. I ripped off all my clothes and jumped on the bed and he just ignored me" said Mercutio.

"That probably traumatized him further, you crazy idiot!" exclaimed Gabriel "Right. I'll get him out of there if you want"

"Please do" said Hermia.

Gabriel barged in. The room stank. Benvolio slumped under the covers defeatedly. Only the top of his scruffy hair was visible above the duvet. But Gabriel was not put off.

"Get up!" yelled Gabriel, shaking him "Come on! Enough of this. You've been there long enough"

"Go away" groaned Benvolio.

"No! Get up!" Gabriel yanked the duvet away. Benvolio curled into a ball, like a hedgehog. Gabriel grabbed him by the arm and pulled.

"It's time to get up! Come on! I'm not having this. Even when I feel like crap I still have to get up and dance with a smile on my face. If I can do it, so can you. Up!"

Reluctantly, Benvolio sat up. Gabriel thrust his glasses under his nose, and Benvolio took them.

"What do you want?" he complained groggily.

"You and me are going out. I'm leaving today, and we're having a chat first. Out!"


	57. For Good

It's the 20th August today, meaning it's Benvolio and Beatrix's birthday. I'm guessing I have two or three chapters until the story is finished.

And speaking of Benvolio, FINALLY he and Gabriel have a heart to heart and make peace with one another. And this time, Gabriel isn't under the influence of booze. This chapter was influenced by the segment in Wicked, where Elphaba and Glinda sing 'For Good' and make peace with one another. And this chapter is what the story really is about - young people, whether they are students or not, coming into their own and growing into their own personalities, shrugging off their parent's mistakes, etc.

* * *

Gabriel tugged Benvolio out of the house and into the streets of Venice. They headed towards a little cafe and sat down. Gabriel ordered his favourite cappuccino. When the waiter turned to ask Benvolio what he wanted, Benvolio had been about to decline, when Gabriel had given him such a fierce look, that he reluctantly asked for a cup of tea.

"So," began Gabriel "Why are you so depressed?"

"I'm not depressed"

"You are depressed. I hear you haven't moved for three days. That's depression"

"Oh, are you going to send me to rehab and stick me on Prozac?" grumbled Benvolio.

"No, I don't believe in all that artificial rubbish, I prefer herbal remedies, spiritual healing and meditation" Gabriel dismissed "But I know depression when I see it. What's the matter?"

Benvolio sighed very deeply "My dad"

"Oh. He was able to void the contract, wasn't he? Shouldn't you be happy?"

"Yes! I mean, no! I'm happy he's safe, but I'm just so upset with him!" Benvolio cried "He discriminated against a person! That's just, against everything I believe in. I believe in...peace...and freedom of religion. For everyone, no matter who they are. How can I call such a person my father?"

It was Gabriel's turn to sigh "At least he cared about you"

"At least he cared about me?" Benvolio spat "He didn't care at all! If he cared, he'd have set me a good example, and raised me to be a good citizen, instead of hiding his anti-Semitism under a blanket of lies!"

"You learnt how to be a good person anyway" Gabriel replied "And by care about you, I mean, he was willing to risk his life for you. He went through all that trouble to make sure you and Eliseo were safe, happy, and financially secure. You could turn to him when you were in need. Me? I went homeless because I couldn't bear Angelo's meddling"

Benvolio was speechless for a moment "You don't even like my dad!" he protested.

"No. I don't"

"So why are you making excuses for him?" asked Benvolio.

"I'm not" said Gabriel, accepting his cappuccino from the waiter "I'm saying you ought to think carefully before you throw him out of your life for good. Once he's gone, you won't get him back"

"I don't want anything to do with a person like him. He's horrible. At least Angelo is head of a liberal party, and-"

Gabriel raised his hand.

"Sure, Angelo is head of a liberal party. But he's a coward. Sure, he believes in 'freedom of religion' and gay rights and such. But he never does anything to bring it into action, because he's worried he'll lose conservative voters. I think there's another election coming up next year. You want to know why he hates the fact I want to be a ballet dancer?"

"Why?"

"Because he's scared" said Gabriel "He's scared that I'll have the mick taken out of me, that people will think I'm gay. Well, they do anyway. But I'm not like him. I'm not scared to be myself. I don't care what people think of me. He tells me not to be brave and stand up for myself, to do what society expects me too. That's why I hate him so. It's strange, Angelo and I...have very similar philosophies and political opinions, although he doesn't give two hoots for animal rights. But he's too scared to do anything"

"What has this got to do with the fact my dad is evil?" asked Benvolio.

"You know, I've been thinking" said Gabriel "And I don't think he's evil. I just think he didn't know better. You know how we have RE? Well, no one pays attention and everyone fails the exam, so probably, the first time he saw Shylock, he thought 'weirdo!', didn't understand him, didn't realize it was so wrong, and didn't realise the extent of his actions, and just kept going onto the next stage. After a while, it became habit, his classmates joined in and encouraged him, and he probably felt he was in the right. When I studied psychology, which I got an A* in by the way, there was a term for it, and it was known as the 'foot-in-the-door' effect, where one gradually commits to something, making it harder to refuse to take the next step"

Benvolio just sighed, and stirred his tea.

"Drink it. I paid for that" commanded Gabriel.

"Where did you get the money?"

"Amparo"

"So you're back together?"

"We were never apart. We just had a long-distance open relationship. But she's finished doing whatever political thing she was doing in Mantua, and can come back to Verona. We're leaving today, actually. I thought I'd stop by, pick up my stuff that I left, and see how you were. Obviously, you're doing quite crap, so I'm here to put your life in perspective"

"Thank you?" said Benvolio.

"You're welcome" replied Gabriel.

"Well, tell me this, life coach. How am I supposed to raise Eliseo? My dad agreed to help me, and he did, for a while, but now seeing what he really is...how can I?"

"Oh, quite easily" said Gabriel "I mean, I know you're only eighteen, but in my opinion, you're much more mature and knowledgeable and father-material than Angelo was at twenty-eight, which was when Rosaline was born. He was married, had an income and a career, yet he screwed up as a parent, big-time! All you have to do is love Eliseo unconditionally, and tell him that you do, which you do. Look at what Anthony did wrong, and don't repeat the mistake. And it doesn't matter about the money. As long as there are people who care for him, who will accept him no matter what, then there's no problem"

"I know that"

"And also, remember this" said Gabriel "Children are not colouring books. Sure, you make them and grow them, but you can't colour them in and make them the person you think they ought to be. You can't impose your religious and political beliefs on them. I mean, I'd like it if my children followed my vegetarian beliefs, but I can't force it on them. They're a part of you, but separate people as well. You know that, don't you?"

"Of course" replied Benvolio.

"You'll be fine, Benvolio" assured Gabriel "You may be young, but our generation, Generation Z for your information, are the most liberal, the least racist, sexist, homophobic, concerned with the environment, than any other generation. It's funny – your dad and Shylock created the mess, and yet us students, you, Portia, Tybalt, cleared it up again and sorted it out. It is just so funny, adults go on about how awful young people are, and yet, we're so much better than them by far"

"Sure, as well as being connected to internet at all times" quipped Benvolio.

Gabriel laughed "There! See? You're coming to your old self. Just give it time. But don't give up on your life. Technically, it's not my place to tell you what you should and shouldn't do about your dad. I mean, I'm not exactly the poster child for good dad-son relationships"

"I guess" Benvolio sighed again "I feel bad. I shouted some horrible stuff at him after the case. I told him I wished he'd died instead of my mum, and that I wished he'd got prostate cancer"

"Amparo told me" said Gabriel "Did you see her? She's friends with your aunt, Isabella"

"Oh, you mean the dark-eyed lady wearing the deep blue suit?"

"That's her"

"Yes, I did"

"She told me about what you yelled at him. I must admit – I thought it was funny at first, and I was like 'Wow, that boy's my father-hating muse now!' But lately, I've been thinking about things more, and putting them into perspective, and thinking about the consequences of actions. I now know that it was stupid of me to band with Tybalt and his hooligan friends and try to kill Demetrius. Killing him wouldn't help Lavinia in any shape or form. It wouldn't make me feel better, either. I could have gone to jail and ended up in an even worse position than before"

Benvolio swallowed "Mercutio said thanks for stopping Simon"

"It was no trouble" said Gabriel "In fact, thinking about it again, that time around, I made a difference. If you know what I mean"

"Yes, I know what you mean. Allegra's fine. I think she brings out a more mature and sometimes vulnerable side of Mercutio – if you could call it that. When Simon left Venice to go back to Verona, Mercutio called Escalus to warn him of him. Escalus said he'd make sure the law fell down on him like a tonne of bricks"

"Good" said Gabriel "Amparo said she'd make sure he was dealt with appropriately if not. Men like him are a disgrace to the rest of us"

"I quite agree" muttered Benvolio "It still makes me so angry that...that Hermia has hung around with heaps of boys, for years and years, and we've all gotten along, no one had ever hurt anyone, and then Demetrius just..."

He broke off angrily. Gabriel watched him sadly "You're lucky she even speaks to you, or has any kind of interest in the world around her. Lavinia does nothing. I told her I was going to La Scala, and she didn't respond, just stared through me. It was so horrible"

"Hermia said she refused to let Demetrius win by moving on" Benvolio murmured, stirring his tea again "I wish she'd talk to me more, instead of bottling it up. I wish there is more I could do"

"You've done heaps for her. She really loves you" replied Gabriel "I think, just by having her know you're there with unconditional love, I think it's enough for her"

"I hope"

"You'll be fine, Benvolio" assured Gabriel "You still have your university place. You get your first class degree, and get your high paid job, and you take care of Hermia and Eliseo, understand? They love you and need you"

"Understood" said Benvolio, finishing his tea.

"And by the way" added Gabriel "I'm sorry about the Rose drama"

"I'm sorry too. For attacking you and getting Mercutio to punch you on the nose"

"I think there's blame to share"

"Yes. There is. But in a way...I'm pleased it happened, as shaped me and helped me grow up...and now I have Hermia, and if it wasn't for you, then I don't know if I'd even be where I am today"

"And now I have Amparo"

"So, are we friends?"

"I think..." said Gabriel "I think it would be better if we were grateful for one another from afar. I will see you again, sometime, if you come to Verona. And if you ever need a life bitch, then you've got one"


	58. Eliseo's First Word

Ah. Gabriel has become quite sweet. Now, it's time for Benny to go home and patch things up with his family. And the book Benvolio reads to him in this chapter is called 'The Purple Widow' by Holly Hoyt. I love her writing, she's awesome, I recommend it to anyone.

* * *

After Gabriel left with Amparo for Verona, Benvolio made his way back to his apartment. It was dusk. Autumn was on it's way. The slow, hot summer stretched past them lazily, and a new cold chill was ready to fill the air.

He opened the door. Mercutio was watching 'You've Been Framed' and screeching with laughter. Allegra was quietly rehearsing the lines of a song she had to learn for one of her La Fenice lessons. Hermia was tidying up Eliseo's toys.

"There you are" said Hermia, turning around "You've been gone ages. You look better. Why don't you have a bath?"

"Where's Eliseo?" asked Benvolio.

"Having a nap. But I ought to wake him up to give him dinner and then he needs a bath. I'll do that, and you can-"

"No, I'll take care of him this evening" said Benvolio.

Hermia thought no more of it "Ok. I'll get dinner on. Hey, Allegra has some good news. Tell him, All"

"I've been offered a role in Cosi fan Tutte!" announced Allegra delightedly. Mercutio whooped loudly. Benvolio recognised the noise from something he'd heard Mercutio making a few days ago.

"She's going to be awesome" Mercutio went on "And I'm going to sit in the front row on the first night, and I'm going to cheer like this. WOOHOO! ENCORE! WOOO!"

"I get the picture, Mercutio" said Benvolio, clutching his ears.

"You go see Eliseo. I'm just going to get some tape to stick Mercutio's mouth shut" teased Hermia.

"No!"

Benvolio crept into his room. Eliseo stood up in his cot, rattling the bars. He looked at Benvolio grumpily, as if to question why he hadn't spent time with him in the past three days.

"Hello, munchkin. I'm sorry we haven't played together much in the past few days" greeted Benvolio, scooping him up. Eliseo cooed delightedly, pleased to have his daddy back. Benvolio kissed him on his forehead "There! Let's go and have dinner, shall we?"

He strapped him into his highchair, and fed him his favourite tin of baby food. Eliseo squealed for more when he was finished. Benvolio couldn't help but laugh at how Eliseo had somehow got food all over his hands, all over his face, and even in his hair. He wiped away the orange muck with a wet wipe, and Eliseo giggled, as it tickled him. His other housemates stayed out his way, allowing him to bond with his son again.

When Eliseo had finished eating, Benvolio carried him into the bathroom, where he filled a baby bath tub with warm water and bubbles. He took off Eliseo's now messy romper, and chucked out his dirty nappy. He scooped him up and plopped him in the bath. Eliseo squealed with joy at the bubbles, and tried to eat them. He laughed as Benvolio squirted baby shampoo on his head and as he washed it away with warm water. He splashed and soaked Benvolio in the process, but Benvolio didn't mind.

"Ugogo" stated Eliseo, as Benvolio dried him.

"I quite agree. You're lovely and clean now, and you smell of talcum powder" said Benvolio, dusting him off.

"Geen?" Eliseo replied.

"Shall I try and brush that hair of yours now it's wet? Sit still, you little terror"

"Da" Eliseo reached up for the comb, as Benvolio careful ran it through his curls.

"That's right. I'm daddy"

When he had a happy, clean baby, Benvolio bundled him into a sleeping suit and carried him back into the bedroom. It was now bedtime. Hermia had changed the bed sheets whilst he was out, and for once in her life, she had actually bothered to pick up any laundry from the floor. Benvolio lay propped up by his pillows with Eliseo propped up beside him, tucked under his arm, and reached out for the book at the side of his bed that he had planned to read to him some night ago.

Benvolio cleared his throat "There is a tale that the children tell at night when the rest of the world is asleep. It travels across the ocean that connects the Omen Island Chain..."

"Frumpa!" Eliseo said, once he was finished.

"Time for bed, you. You look sleepy" Benvolio picked him up, and popped him in his cot. Eliseo yawned, but sat up, looking at Benvolio with his (slowly turning green) eyes.

"Aren't you going to go to sleep?" asked Benvolio, bending over to readjust his toys and his blanket. Eliseo continued to watch his dad, blinking innocently, as if he was trying to figure something out. Benvolio gave him a final kiss on his curls, and patted his head "Goodnight, angel. When you wake up tomorrow morning, I'll feed you and then we'll play. Remember what I said when you were born? I'd always be there for you. I'm going to make sure you're the happiest little boy in the whole wide world"

Eliseo reached up, patted Benvolio's cheek and then uttered his very first word.

"Dadda"

* * *

"Is he asleep?" asked Hermia, painting Mercutio's fingernails pink as he snoozed on the sofa.

"Yeah" Benvolio nodded.

"How are you feeling now?"

"Better"

"Glad to hear it" said Allegra, painting Mercutio's toenails purple.

"You do know Mercutio will get mad at you when he wakes up" said Benvolio.

"No, he won't, he loves us" said Allegra.

"No, he'll thank us for making him sexy" corrected Hermia "Look, I made Allegra do his feet. Ha ha"

"I don't mind. Mercutio's feet are kind of cute. I like what happens when you tickle them" replied Allegra.

"No, don't wake him!" Hermia hushed, hurriedly finishing Mercutio's smallest finger.

"Mab..." murmured Mercutio, rolling over.

"I've never seen Mercutio so quiet in all my life" remarked Benvolio.

"DADDA!" screamed Eliseo.

"Oh no, he woke up!" moaned Benvolio.

"Did he just say dadda?" asked Hermia, dropping the brush.

"Yeah, he called me that a few minutes ago"

"Dadda!" howled Eliseo.

"Ah, better luck next time, Hermia" sympathised Allegra.

"Oh well, he called Benvolio, not me. Which means...go sort him out, Benji" instructed Hermia.

Benvolio shuffled off back into bedroom to pacify his baby. By then, it was almost eleven 'o' clock. Allegra and Hermia left Mercutio sleeping on the sofa so his surprise manicure and pedicure could dry. Hermia joined Benvolio in bed.

"So, what did Gabe say?" asked Hermia.

"Oh, he was really nice, actually" said Benvolio.

"Until now, I never really realised there was a person under all that bitching"

"I guess it's not his fault. He doesn't mean to be like that. It's just...he's so afraid of being judged, he'll judge first, if you get me"

"Yeah, I get you" nodded Hermia.

"He said about how, even though my dad's been a wanker, I should think twice before disowning him because, at the end of the day, he loved me deep down, and was willing to put his life at risk to make sure I was secure"

"He didn't have to do any of those things. Now I think about it, there were other ways we could have found money"

"I know. I should have used my savings, instead of running to him. And we could have bought a cheaper telly, and paid Adelaide back directly, over a course of time. I mean, she's a family friend. She'd understand"

Hermia sighed "I think we've all learnt a valuable lesson, haven't we?"

"Yes, we have" agreed Benvolio "I'm going to get part-time work, and pay for you and Eliseo myself. Tomorrow, first thing, I'll find the place you go to look for jobs"

"Er, Benvolio?"

"Yeah?"

"You can't go out tomorrow to look for a job"

"Why ever not?"

"Because it's your first day at university" smiled Hermia.

"My first day?"

"Yes! It's marked on the calendar. It's why Tybalt and Rosaline had to rush home, why Portia, Rose and the other two girls rushed home, why me and Allegra glammed Mercutio up a bit"

Benvolio gasped "I don't even have my outfit prepared! And I stink. I need a shower. And how will I manage to do all that stuff in one morning? And how are we going to get there?"

"Well, we're in Venice, so you're going in a gondola, stupid. I've ironed one of your shirts, and a pair of trousers. And I matched up your socks for you. It's hanging on the wardrobe door over there"

Benvolio glanced over at Hermia's attempt to iron. She was no domestic goddess, but it would do. And the fact she thought of him was all the better.

"Thanks, Hermia. I'll take a shower in the morning before Mercutio and I leave. I feel bad for Romeo, having to start alone in Verona"

"He'll live. He still has Juliet"

"And I've got you" Benvolio pulled the duvet over himself. It smelt fresh, and felt cool against his skin. Hermia lay on her back, tapping her fingers on her tummy. Her engagement ring sparkled in the moonlight.


	59. Mercutio Spawn

Ah. The last chapter before the epilogue. Hope you like. The events of this chapter are very heavily influenced by Mercutio and Allegra, by Cornadopia, I don't own Allegra, blah blah, plus, I don't advocate teenage pregnancy, that's what happens in Merc'n'All. Anyway, I'm kind of glad this story is almost over. I'm concentrating on a Harry Potter fanfic right now.

* * *

In the end, Hermia and Benvolio did get married, although it was a few years down the line, and Eliseo was able to carry the rings for his parents, and run around with Mercutio Junior and Alexei, as well as ask Rosaline whether she was pregnant, or just fat. Tybalt was not amused, especially whilst chasing after the three boys to tell them off, he tripped over the DJ's wire in front of everyone, fell on his bottom, and split his trousers. That, was Mercutio Senior's highlight of the day. Not the fact he got to humiliate Benvolio with an outrageous best man's speech, oh no, but hearing the music go silent, watching Tybalt turn bright red and limp upright as the photographer shouted 'I just filmed that!'

But before then, there was still a lot of growing up and maturing to do. Isn't that just life? Out of the group of friends, Mercutio was obviously the last to mature, and it took a very big change to make that happen. Two weeks into Mercutio and Benvolio's first year at university, Allegra approached Benvolio.

"You know, when Hermia told you she was expecting Eliseo" she asked him, as Mercutio was listening to loud music as he was painting in his room, and Hermia herself was in the bath "How did you feel?"

"How did I feel?" asked Benvolio "Well, it was Romeo who told me Hermia was pregnant. And I felt upset"

"Because you were going to have a kid so young?"

"No" Benvolio shook his head "Because she didn't tell me first. I mean, I know she found out at the wedding, and there wasn't a lot she could do about that. And I know no one knew who the father really was, there wasn't much she could do about that either. It's just...I would have liked her to have told me so I could have supported her for longer"

"Oh" Allegra chewed her lip.

"Why do you ask?" Benvolio turned to his 'sister-in-law'

"Oh, just wondering" said Allegra.

"Are you sure?"

It was hard to lie to Benvolio. There was something about his calm demeanour that made you want to confide in him. Allegra choked it out.

"I'm pregnant"

"There, there" said Benvolio gently, putting an arm around her shoulders "It's all right. Is that why you asked me?"

Allegra nodded "I wanted to tell Mercutio first, I'm just worried he won't like it. So I asked you...because you'd been there"

"I know. But there's not a lot I can do, because it's yours and Mercutio's baby. I can't interfere with your choices. When are you going to tell him?"

"I don't know. I'm worried if I do tell him, then he'll ditch me, or tell my parents, and then they'll make me do something I'm not even sure about!"

"We won't tell them until you're completely comfortable and ready to make a choice" said Benvolio "How far gone do you think you are?"

"Two or three months" replied Allegra "I think it's due late February or early March. I don't know"

"I suppose this explains the puking and the sudden desire for peaches" said Benvolio.

"It does. It's just...everything was sorting itself out so nicely. I was offered a role in Cosi fan Tutte, but by then I'll be about to drop, or have a baby who needs me. And Mercutio's busy at university, doing weird art things, like that strange 3D model of a dog made out of jam"

Benvolio sniggered a bit. Allegra laughed weakly.

"Well, you'll never know until you tell him. And look, I know him, he'll be happy. He'll say 'Oooh, Mini-Wooshy-Wegras! World domination of Mercutio spawn!'" Benvolio continued his impression by waving his arms around and dancing like an idiot. It wasn't much, but it managed to make Allegra laugh, which took away some of the worry about the scenario, and managed to make her feel a hell of a lot better about her situation.

And so the next day, when Mercutio was at university, hanging upside down from the ceiling in an art room painting something, Allegra paced around on the floor below him, summoning her courage. Mercutio was humming 'Born This Way' as he worked. Allegra looked on fondly as his mop of crazy dark hair moved up and down in time to the song.

"You know, when you say to Benvolio and Hermia 'Eliseo is so cute, I want one' do you really mean it?"

"What's that, Wally-wegra?" asked Mercutio, breaking away from the hummed song.

"When you say to Benvolio and Hermia 'I want an Eliseo' do you mean it?" repeated Allegra.

"Yeah!" cheered Mercutio "But I don't just want another Eliseo, I want some Mercutio spawn to dominate the planet that can ruin Tybalt's life. Mwuh ha ha ha ha!"

Allegra swallowed "Well, you're going to get one"

Mercutio fell off the ceiling and (luckily) landed on a paint splodged beanbag underneath him. He gazed up comically at her.

"What?"

"I'm having a baby" said Allegra.

"Are you kidding?" asked Mercutio, trying to sit up, but with little success.

"No" Allegra shook her head. Tears were welling up behind her lashes. Mercutio's mouth wobbled.

"Don't cry, Wally-wegra. It's all right. How far gone do you think you are?"

"I think I'm two or three months gone. I should have figured it out earlier, when I...skipped. But it was just so stressful, with the move, starting my lessons at La Fenice, and then all the drama with Benvolio's dad and Shylock. I simply forgot about it"

"So it's...about the size of a grapefruit" said Mercutio, remembering something he'd read in one of Hermia's pregnancy and baby books. They were hilarious – they had diagrams of _everything_.

"I suppose" Allegra nodded "Are you, are you all right with this?"

"You kidding?" repeated Mercutio, finally sitting up. He patted the bean bag, indicating to Allegra to come and sit next to him. She did. She looked so worried and nervous that Mercutio just had to find a way to cheer her up...

"You're going to be a MILF!"

"What?"

"A MILF!" exclaimed Mercutio "And I'm going to be a DILF!"

"You mean you aren't mad?" asked Allegra.

"Well, I'm mad as in crazy, but not mad as in angry. This isn't your fault. It's mine. I know we took precautions, but I think it must have happened that night I borrowed some of Benvolio's rubbers because I'd used mine to make water balloons and throw out the window at the annoying Japanese tourists who keep making noise and keeping Eliseo awake, and you know he needs a smaller size than me..."

Allegra sighed "We'll be all right, won't we, Mercutio? We'll get through?"

"Of course we will. I'll take care of you and Micro-Merc in there" Mercutio smiled at her, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. He used his free hand to pat her stomach. Allegra leant her head on his shoulder, breathing in his scent. She could feel his heart beat underneath the colourful ethnic style shirt he wore. He kissed her blonde head.

"You won't walk out on me?"

"Never!" cried Mercutio "What kind of douche does that? Nah man, I'm sticking with you. Hear that, All? You're stuck with me"

Allegra smiled "I couldn't ask for anything better"

Mercutio seized her in his arms and kissed her again. When they broke apart, he smiled "Can you feel the baby in there yet?"

"Not yet. Although – it's your kid. It probably won't stay still for much longer"

"Yeah, I remember when Eliseo used to play snow angels. It drove Hermia crazy. She couldn't sleep at night so she'd ring me up because I'd be in India and it would be a reasonable time for me!"

"Yeah, well, I don't get much sleep at night. You talk and wiggle. I'm in for a fun few months" Allegra groaned.

Mercutio laughed, leaning his head back on the bean bag. Allegra loved his laugh. She sighed, studying his face as he closed his eyes. He wasn't handsome in the way that boys like Romeo were handsome, with round boyish features, or boys like Tybalt, who was ruggedly handsome, or even boys like Gabriel, with his unique androgynous beauty. His eyes were kind of googly and his hair was crazy, and his mouth never seemed to stop grinning. But he was Mercutio, and in his own way he was simply fantastically marvellous, and she wouldn't have any other boy.

And he just said she was stuck with him. The prospect of sticking with Mercutio forever sounded...sounded...well, it was all her dreams come true. She loved him so much, it made her heart ache. And contrary to what the stupid judgemental people said, there was nothing wrong with him. He wasn't weird, he was unique.

"Why are you still crying?" murmured Mercutio. Allegra had been unaware he was watching her.

"Because...because..."

"You don't need to cry, my pretty one. It's all right. I'm here. I know you're worried and scared, but we just have to think positively. I mean, we could get the baby to succeed where Eliseo failed"

"And what's that?" asked Allegra, wiping her eyes.

"To throw up on Tybalt"


	60. Epilogue: Gabriel's Letter

Oreoskidz - Welcome back for the last chapter.

So, this is it. The end of TSOV and the end of the Child Swap series. I was debating with another installment, but think that it is best if I keep that story in my head as what happened afterwards. And also, if I am right in thinking, today is the day I finished Child Swap. As of now, I am concentrating on my Harry Potter fanfiction, and writing my own original fiction. It's time to stop borrowing Shakespeare's characters and create my own.

Special thanks to Oreoskidz, Cornadopia, DeeCatVenice, Maybetheawesome, iluvshinjimina and Dawnstar94 for reviewing. Another special thanks to Cornadopia for lending me Allegra.

So, the epilogue. I think I will give the last word to Gabriel.

* * *

'_Dear Shylock,_

_It's now autumn here in Verona, and with it has brought the colder weather. I'm wearing the sparkly silk scarf I bought whilst staying with you in Venice. I miss Venice greatly, but it does not compare to how much I miss one of my oldest friends._

_I hope that you are well. I know that we did not part on the best of terms, but my thoughts are often with you and some of my prayers to the Goddess include your health and wellbeing. Prison is not a particularly pleasant place, but remember, Hector managed to survive through it, and now he and Regina have reconciled. Rosaline tells me that Regina wants another child, but Hector says it's too soon, and Tybalt is disgusted at the idea of a sibling when he's nearly twenty one. Not to mention how disgusted I am at the thought of another Tybalt..._

_I myself am well. I have now moved in with Amparo, with my cat, Snooky, who gets along with her tom cat, Coco. I am no longer in such a desperate state – in fact, I have two pieces of very great news._

_I AM THE LEAD DANSEUR OF VERONA BALLET COMPANY._

_I KNOW! ME! You may not have heard of Verona Ballet Company, but that's because it is being built as I write. Do you remember my dance teacher, Rene? Well, his boyfriend is rich, very rich, and wanted to set up a ballet company in Verona. My dance teacher always dreamed of running a company, and so his boyfriend invested in a disused theatre, and is turning the rehearsal rooms into dance studios, and making adjustments to the stage, so that we can train there and put on the performances. They hope to have it up and running by next summer. They needed dancers fast, and guess who's name my dance teacher put forward for the lead male dancer? And guess who needed a job? ME!_

_We are very busy. I am rehearsing and getting back into shape, and learning all the moves. I wish you could come and see us. We are putting on a performance of _Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake, _a contemporary ballet adaption of the famous classic, _Swan Lake.

_My second piece of great news is this._

_I AM HAVING A BABY._

_Yes! A baby! I know you must be thinking that I am young, and in truth, I know that I am that. But I have a steady income, am in a committed relationship, have a home (I now share Amparo's apartment and pay half the bills) and can easily make arrangements for childcare, as well as making sure that my future son or daughter will receive plenty of love and affection, no matter who they are, what they believe, or what they wish to become._

_It is a long story, and I know people will think badly of me for it. However, Amparo was very clear when she said she wanted an open long-distance relationship, and I know these 'slip-ups' happen all the time (Do you remember Mercutio? The disgusting one who asked you a rude question about your wiener? He used one of Benvolio's rubbers which was apparently 'too small' for him and had an accident so now he's expecting a baby with Allegra. I bet it comes out stark raving mad) so I suppose that as long as my baby is loved and cared for, it will not matter. Amparo is fine with it, which I think is very noble of her. She's so secure of herself, it's refreshing. It's like she knows I love her, not Rose, and that I only did it with Rose because she wasn't there and she said I could._

_Angelo thinks I'm a twat, of course. He found out about the Fake Levels trick, and yelled at me for lying. He had a go at me for going missing (You wouldn't think he'd been concerned about me!) and for getting fired, although it wasn't my fault, and I'm in a much better position now (As I can live in Verona, and I receive higher wages as the lead danseur, rather than as a member of the corps) Rose's mum wasn't pleased, as Rose is supposed to be getting a psychology degree in Padua, but I said I will take physical, financial and legal custody, and Rose could go to Padua and get her precious degree if she wants it so much._

_But anyway, I have thought of many names for him/her, including Vaslav, after Vaslav Nijinsky, one of my favourite male ballet dancers, but I think Vaslav Fulgencio sounds kind of weird, don't you think? And for a girl, I did think of Odette, after the Swan Queen in _Swan Lake_, or maybe Giselle, but I suppose if the baby doesn't like ballet that would kind of suck for it. I suppose I could name it after one of my favourite Hollywood stars, like Tallulah Bankhead, or Marilyn Monroe (the baby is actually due on her birthday, 1__st__ June!)_

_It's another weird thought to think that my baby will be in the same year at school as Mercutio and Allegra's baby, and will be in the year below Eliseo. In the (hopefully unlikely) event that Regina plops out another Tybalt within the right period of time, than that kid will be in their year as well._

_I suppose you must be wanting to know what has happened to Anthony. Well, he hasn't exactly had it easy, which is what I'm thankful for. His whole church community are angry at him. Someone said he's not worthy of being part of their community. I love how 'forgiving' Christians are. He's found a job, at least. Luckily, Benvolio's mother's bookstore business was willed to Benvolio, and was placed in trust with a co-worker until Benvolio is twenty one, not Anthony, and so that wasn't repossessed. Anthony works there now, although Benvolio and said co-worker manage the money. I don't know how he does it, I can't even remember the eight times tables!_

_I hope you aren't still angry at Benvolio and his friends. Whilst what Mercutio asked you was uncalled for, Benvolio is a good person, regardless of who his father is. I think he will go far. And I know they put you in prison, but they did give you a chance to back out and go your own way. If it's any consolation, Benvolio may have reconciled with his dad, but he still hasn't forgiven him. Benvolio hates the way Anthony treated you, and has vowed to bring Eliseo up in a much better fashion, as have I with my future son or daughter._

_I remain your ever-lasting friend,_

_Gabriel._


End file.
